Unbound
by DrWriter21
Summary: Empty. Broken. Abused. Shattered. They say that unless you go through something similar, you cant understand someones point of view, so it takes someone with a similar experience to help fill the void left by tragedy. Can an unlikely group ban together to repair the damage caused by the past? And can they do this while trying to survive a game created by a genius psychopath?
1. Chapter 1: A new Beginning

**Authors Note: Hey everyone. This idea has been plaguing my mind for a while now and to keep up my interest in writing, I decided that I wanted to start a new fan fiction. This is another KH title staring Roxas and it is crossed over with Sekirei of all things. I know this sounds a bit surprising, but I have a really good idea of where it could go. For those of you who read my first story, sorry but that one is being put on hold because it was staring to burn me out on writing. I need to start something fresh to keep me motivated to write, so here is a new idea that I wanted to do for a long time. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

 **Spelling issue: Yes I have a little problem with spelling and grammar since I don't have a beta. Hopefully they will be minimal however. I am just doing this for fun so I wont be dedicating my life to fixing everything.**

* * *

Unbound

Chapter 1

 _Ring Ring_

Hearing the ringtone in his pocket, a young boy with spiky blond hair gave a disgruntled sigh as he fished it out. Glancing at the caller ID, his suspicions were confirmed on who was calling him. Hitting the answering button, he put the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Roxas, my man. Listen; there is another job that's literally calling your name. You up for the task?"

The now named Roxas rolled his eyes while giving the phone a flat look, not that the guy on the other end of the phone could see.

"Where is it?" Roxas asked dryly.

"I knew I could count on you. I will text you the area. Get on it because she is sounding really impatient right now."

"When are people ever patience in this line of work?" Roxas replied.

"Touché. Glad you're up to the task though. Every since we hired you, business has gone through the roof. Now get on it."

Roxas heard the other end of the line go silent, signifying that his employer had hung up. Looking down at the phone, he noticed it light up again with the address of his next job on the screen. Giving another sigh, he looked down at his left hand. He had a bag of groceries clenched in his fist, implying that he had just finished shopping by the time he got the call.

"Guess I better get this back home first." Roxas said to himself as he looked around the area. There were people walking down the street, but no one really paid any attention to him, something he was grateful for. He slipped into an abandoned alleyway before he took off his backpack. Unzipping it, he pulled out a large black trench coat.

He gave a small smile before he threw it over his shoulders and zipped it up. Taking once last glance around, he made sure no one was watching before he extended his hand. Immediately, a pillar of darkness erupted from the ground. The black wispy entrance beckoned him to enter, which he fearlessly did. He had no fear of the Corridor of Darkness as long as he had his coat.

Just as soon as he walked through the darkness, the portal disappeared behind him, leaving the alleyway completely empty. It was seconds later that Roxas found himself standing in a familiar living room area. Glancing over his shoulder, the only remains of the corridor was a final haze of dissipating darkness.

Immediately, Roxas walked into the kitchen before he placed his bag of groceries on the counter. He then made his way back to the living room before standing in front of a large map on the coffee table. Pulling out his phone again, he looked at the address his employer sent him before glancing at the map. He traced his finger over the paper trying to locate the position.

"Hmm" Roxas hummed to himself as he surveyed the area surrounding the targeted address. There was a small red circle on the map near that area, causing Roxas to smile slightly. "Perfect."

Pocketing his phone, he extended his hand again, allowing the Corridor of darkness to appear in front of him. Without hesitation, he walked through it again.

In another abandoned alleyway, the dark portal appeared in all its glory, allowing Roxas to exit. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, he unzipped the coat and took it off. He then removed his backpack before withdrawing a button up shirt. This one was light blue and had the company logo imprinted on the upper breast pocket. Reading the logo, Roxas could not help but smile at the company name.

Shinto locksmith.

Roxas nearly chuckled at the irony of the situation. He applied to the company as a joke on his part, but when they witnessed his unparalleled ability to unlock anything, he was quickly hired.

No, he did not show them his keyblade, but with this signature weapon, it granted him the ability to unlock very simple locks without having to summon it. Sure his affinity for unlocking things raised a few eyebrows, but when he was able to increase the reliability of the company by assisting those who unfortunately locked themselves out of their cars, houses, and apartments, they didn't really question it. If someone needed something unlocked in Shinto, they now knew who would respond the quickest.

Roxas had brought a lot of business to the company, so they overlooked his young age. Especially since the amount of calls they did get nearly tripled, most recently by the female population of Shinto.

Roxas quickly put the shirt on before buttoning it up. He stuffed the coat into his backpack before he exited the alleyway, making his way to the destination. It was pretty close from what he could tell by the map. He knew buying that blasted thing would be a worthy investment because it made navigating the city that much easier.

It also helped that he got this job because it forced him to learn where everything was and the fastest route to them. When he first started this job, he had taken a few days to fully navigate the city in search for abandoned buildings and alleyways from where he could summon the corridors of darkness without anyone seeing him.

Looking around, Roxas couldn't help but smile a little. People were walking down the street minding their own business without a care in the world. It was very peaceful here and truthfully, Roxas was not accustomed to it yet. People lived very simple lives here. There was no fighting or struggling to survive against a horde of heartless or nobodies.

And it was a good thing too. The more Roxas spent around these people, the more he began to realize how weak most of them were. If heartless did invade this world, then these people would not stand a chance against them.

Coming up on his destination, Roxas pushed those thoughts to the back of his head. As he walked down the street, he saw a very nice car parked outside a familiar convenience store. He knew this place because he would usually come to this store to grab some ice cream after the day was over.

But that wasn't the only thing he recognized. He knew that car anywhere. In fact, he had unlocked this specific car many times before. And if that car was here, that meant…

"Yoo hoo, Roxas!"

Roxas stopped dead in his tracks as a voice called out to him. He nearly face-palmed when he saw a familiar woman leaning on the side of her car. She was dressed in a mini-skirt that showed off a generous amount of leg and a white blouse that had a few of the top buttons unbuttoned. She had wavy blond hair and wore a pair of sunglasses.

"Melisa" Roxas said flatly as he approached the car. "You seriously locked yourself out of your car…again?"

"Don't pretend like you didn't miss me, cutie." Melisa replied as he walked over to the boy, resting a hand on her hip. "And besides, I am still trying to get use to the cars in japan."

"They are the same as everywhere else." Roxas retorted as he tried to maneuver around her. He was stopped when he felt Melisa's arm wrap around his neck before attempting to pull his face into her sizeable bosom. However, had learned her antics after their first encounter, he quickly ducked under her arm and he took a couple steps away. "Please don't do that."

"Aww." Melissa pouted before she pushed her chest out a bit. "Are you not satisfied with these? Or do you swing the other way?" A sly grin crossed over her face.

Roxas ignored her as he walked up to the car, taking off his backpack. Melisa pouted again as she walked up to him. "Still as quiet as always. You are never going to get a girlfriend like that."

"I'm not really looking at the moment." Roxas commented back as he unzipped his backpack and pretended to fiddle with an unlocking mechanism.

"Yeah, I know. You told me before. But your onee-san worries for you. Usually that's all boys your age think about." Melisa responded as she rested her hands on Roxas's shoulder before pushing herself against his back.

Roxas's eyebrow twitched a bit as he shrugged off her hands. "Onee-San huh? You're adapting quickly to Japan."

"You expected any less?"

"I didn't expect to be unlocking your car this many times since our first encounter." Roxas muttered under his breath as he drew upon the keyblades power, unlocking the car easily.

Upon hearing the click, Melissa couldn't help but blink a few times. When she looked down at Roxas, she only saw him zip up his bag again.

"Seriously, how do you do that so fast?" She asked.

"Its my job." Roxas responded as he slung the backpack over his shoulder. "Is there anything else?"

Melissa paused for a few moments before she rested her hands on her hips. "I guess not, but you really need to work on your social skills. If you keep unlocking things this fast, how will you make time for conversation?"

"Speed is what I'm know for."

"Yeah I can see that." Melissa said as she walked around him and opened the door to her car. She reached in and pulled out her purse before taking out a few bills. She handed them over to Roxas with a smile. "Here you go cutie."

Roxas took the bills before counting the yen. He blinked a few times as he looked up at her. "You overpaid…again."

Melissa brushed him off. "A tip, for your quick work. It could have been a bit more if you actually held a conversation." She said as she winked.

Roxas chucked as he pocketed the bills. "Maybe next time. I am hoping to start college soon, so you may have someone else helping you out."

Melissa paused as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Really? College already?"

"Yeah. I've been sending in a few applications around Shinto."

"But you're so young. How old are you again?"

"17"

Melissa stared at him. "Did you graduate high school early or something?"

"Or something." Roxas replied. Honestly, he didn't even go to high school. The only school experience he ever had was in his memories of twilight town.

Melissa scratched the back of her head. "That's kinda impressive. Any colleges reply yet?"

"Not yet. I just started to apply."

"Huh. Well at least you're determined. Kids your age are usually still finishing high school. And your only 17?"

Roxas replied by nodding his head before he threw the backpack over his shoulder.

"Damn. Motivated and driven. If only you were a bit older. I could be more that just an onee-san to you." Melissa murmured as she crossed her arms under her bosom.

"You say something?"

Melissa blinked a few times before she shook her head. "No nothing at all. Thanks again for your help Roxas. I knew I could rely on you."

"Yeah, you and the rest of Shinto locksmith. I swear they only call on me anymore."

"Well, you are indeed fast." Melissa said as she walked over to her car and started to climb in. "Take care Roxas. I will look forward to the next time you help me out." She said as she blew him a kiss.

Roxas gave her a flat look as he watched her close the door to her car. She rolled down the window and winked at him.

"Sometimes I wonder if you purposely locked yourself out of your car."

"Whatever would give you that idea?" Melissa grinned as she turned the key, igniting the engine. She gave a two-fingered salute before the car suddenly took off down the street.

Roxas shook his head as he turned and walked back to the abandoned alleyway where he would usually go to summon the corridor of darkness. He has lost count of how many times he had unlocked Melissa's car. After the forth or fifth time, he really questioned if she did this on purpose for some reason.

Melissa was actually from America and came to japan for a recent job. There first encounter happened when she accidently bumped into him while looking for a the local shopping center. That's where she asked him for directions and basically dragged him along for a shopping spree.

Through a few conversations she had with him while shopping, she found out where he worked, giving her a reason to lock her keys in her car every once in a while so she could check up on him. For some reason, she had taken it upon herself to be his "Onee-san" as she would call it.

In all honesty, Roxas could say that Melissa was one of the few friends he had made since he appeared in this city nearly a year and a half ago. He wouldn't admit it, but he really did like seeing her every so often.

Upon reaching the alleyway, Roxas took out his coat again and threw it over his shoulders before he summoned the portal leading back to his apartment.

Upon exiting the portal, Roxas took off the coat and threw it over his chair before entering the kitchen. Looking at the untouched bag of groceries on the counter, he carefully opened it and started to put things in there appropriate spot. In one of the cupboards he found a packet of instant ramen noodles. Seeing as he didn't feel like cooking right now, he simply took the packet out and started to boil some water in a small pot.

While that was cooking, Roxas made his way back to his desk before sitting down. On the desk was a book he had been studying for another entrance exam at a local college. He started reading the pages again.

This had been his life for the past year and six months since he had mysteriously arrived in Shinto. He didn't even know how he got there. The last thing he remembered was transferring the remainder of his memories of Twilight town to Sora. And the next, he found himself lying in an abandoned alleyway with the sound of cars racing down a nearby street.

The poor nobody was absolutely confused as to what happened when he excited the alley. It was late in the evening and the rain was lightly falling from the sky. During the first few hours in this…enormous city, he contemplated what he should do. He figured out that he could still use the corridor of darkness since he still had his organization 13 coat, which caused him to debate if he wanted to open a portal back to the world that never was and try to find Sora again.

Ultimately, he rejected the idea. Something had brought him here, giving him the chance to live in this new place. Besides, he didn't want to disappear into nothingness.

I mean, who would.

So, it was then and there that Roxas decided to make a new life here in this world. A world that seemed devoid of any heartless and Nobodies. It was, for the most part, a very peaceful place.

That being said, it took Roxas a while to figure out how to live in this new city. He had to find a job, an apartment, and figure out what he was going to do from there. It was a bit difficult at first because not many people wanted to hire him because of his age, being 15 at the time. And because of the lack of income, not many apartments would take him either. So he spent the better part of his first month living on the streets.

It wasn't until he applied and got hired by the local locksmith that things started to turn around. In his second month, he started saving up a bit of money in order to afford a deposit for an apartment. But even though he had the money, many were skeptical because it was not common that a 15 year old would rent out an apartment for himself. In fact, it was a bit suspicious.

It was a frustrating experience, but Roxas pushed forward and finally managed to pull through. Eventually, he met a nice old landlady named Nozomi that gave him a chance. She offered him a very small apartment that had a living room, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a small bathroom. It may have seemed small and uncomfortable for most people, but it was perfect for someone like Roxas. He took it without a moments hesitation.

It was a new transition from living on the street and in abandoned buildings to an actual apartment with running water and heaters. He was grateful to Nozomi. She had given him a chance and he was not going to take it for granted, so he made sure to pay his rent on time, something the old lady was very grateful for since many of her other occupants were either late, or didn't pay all together. Roxas wasn't really surprised either. Many of her other occupants were very questionable people, taking the apartments because of how cheep the rent was.

His neighbors were the kind of people that made Roxas lock his doors and windows at night. They were loud, throwing parties rather frequently throughout the week. During those times, studying was extremely difficult. He mentioned it in passing conversation with Nozomi one day while paying his rent and she gave a rather helpful solution. She offered her own house as a place to study when the neighbors would get too loud. He was a bit hesitant at first, not wanting to take advantage of her generosity, but eventually Roxas found himself frequently finding refuge in her small home in order to concentrate.

The old landlady didn't seem to mind however. She actually enjoyed his company and admired his determination. While he sat at her coffee tabled and studied his books, she would usually bring over a pot of tea and they would just talk. She said on more that one occasion that he was like a grandson to her.

Nozomi was the first friend he had ever made since he came here. She was also helpful in answering any questions he may have had, especially the ones that had to do with relationships and emotions. They were strange questions sure, but Nozomi was patient and never really pried into Roxas's past.

Speaking of studies, the reason Roxas was reading books on mathematics, languages, histories, ext., was because he wanted to eventually attend college. If the first year in Shinto had taught him anything, it was that if you have an education, the possibilities were endless. Although he kind of knew that based on the brief time he spent in twilight town with Hayner, Pence, and Olette.

But there was only one problem. He was now seventeen years old and he had never attended High School. He was a bit old now to start, but the lack of diploma made it difficult for any college to even consider him as an option. The only way to be accepted would be to get extremely high scores on the entrance exams.

So with a new goal in mind, Roxas started making regular visits to the local library. Every time he was not working, he was at the library studying or checking out a plethora of books. He even went as far as asking the librarian about certain topics he needed to study.

Luckily, the librarian was a nice woman named Sango. She was about 25 years old and was attending Shindong Woman's university herself. She was a little on the quiet side, but was a big help in pointing Roxas in the correct path for his studies.

Of course his requests seemed odd, but Sango was rather intrigued by the young boy who spent so much time in her library. With her experience in college though, she helped in instructing him how to study and what to expect with applications and entrance exams.

It was about a year and three months before he started applying for colleges around Shinto. Sango was also very helpful in describing the different colleges around the area. Unfortunately, the college she attended was for women only, so she could not put in a good word there.

Three months later, Roxas still didn't get any word back from the colleges he applied to, but that wasn't going to stop him. If this was his new life, he wanted to make the most of it, and if he was going to make the most of it, he needed an education.

Roxas was pulled from his thoughts and studies as the smell of ramen hit his nose. He stood up from his desk before walking over to the kitchen and pulled out a bowl from the cupboard. He poured the noodles and broth into the bowl before making his way to the living room. He got a television a while ago, but didn't get around to using it much. Instead, he would usually sit on the couch and reminisce.

As he slowly slurped the noodles and broth into his mouth, he thought about what he was going to do tomorrow. There were many other skills he had learned in the time he spent in this world, like cooking and cleaning, but that never stopped him from keeping his combat stills up to par. He had access to the keyblade and he was not going to let his skills rust.

Finally finished with his meal, he stood from the couch and walked over to the kitchen. He put the bowl in the sink before washing it and putting it back away. He walked over to his desk again and sat down, but this time he didn't read his book. Instead, he looked up at the celling and thought about how far he had come in the past year and six months.

He wondered what it would be like to attend college. The only reference he had was when Sango would describe it for him every once in a while. From what it sounded like, it was a lot different from his memories of twilight town.

Roxas was ripped from his thoughts when loud music started playing from the apartment above him. He gave his celling a flat look as the sound of multiple footsteps pounded the apartment floor. It looked like his neighbors were going to through another party. Well, he was done studying for tonight, so it didn't really bother him.

There was a few times where he was invited to the parties, but after seeing up close what happened to those who attended the next day, Roxas decided that it wasn't a good idea. He still couldn't get the image out of his head of the girl throwing up on the front yard while her friend held her hair back. Going to the parties didn't seem like it was worth it after that.

Glancing at the clock, Roxas noticed it was about nine in the evening now. He narrowed his eyes as he realized that today was actually Wednesday. Usually he would go out and practice with his keyblades right about now, but today was Wednesday.

"Hmm" Roxas hummed to himself as he crossed his arms. "Will she be there today…what am I saying, of course she will." Roxas shivered a bit as he stood up from his seat.

"Well, I better not keep her waiting. I remember last time I skipped out on her and it wasn't pretty." He said to himself as he grabbed his backpack and opened it. He took out his black coat and quickly put it on before he flipped up his hood. He took a deep breath before he extended his hand, allowing the corridor of darkness to appear before him.

* * *

It was dead silent outside at one of the parks in Shinto. The moon was shining brightly in the sky, giving just a hint of light in one of the open fields. Walking out of the shadows of the trees came Roxas. His coat shrouded his entire figure as he walked to the center of the open area. The oblivion was already in his left hand as he stood in the middle of the field. His fingers twitched slightly in anticipation while his mind was asking the same question.

Was she going to come?

A sudden sound of the air being cut immediately caused Roxas to react. He spun around at inhuman speeds as he raised his keyblade in defense. His weapon met the sharpened edge of another weapon in a clash of metal and sparks. Roxas felt pressure against his arms as the other person started to push her sword against his weapon.

"Hello their Mystery man. I am so glad that you could make it." The person said in a sickly sweet voice.

Roxas didn't say anything as he pushed against the figure's sword. He knew this woman instantly as they had many matches in the past. She had long silver-gray hair, a black haori with the crest of a wagtail near the collar. Her weapon of choice was a long katana. But her most defining feature was the psychotic look in her eye.

This woman was known as Karasuba. She seemed a little more on edge tonight, meaning that he would in in for a fight.

Roxas push a bit before swinging his keyblade, violently clashing with her sword. Spark lightly lit up the area as Roxas dashed backwards a bit, crouching down in his one-keyblade stance.

Karasuba licked her lips as she grasped her sword in both hands. "That's what I like about you. No talk, just fight. And I have had a very stressful day today, so you wouldn't mind being a gentleman and helping me relieve that stress would you?" She asked as she gave that overly sweet smile and made Roxas's insides turn a bit. However, that smile changed into her usual Psychotic one as she rushed at him with blinding speed.

"Here we go again." Roxas murmured as he prepared for a fight.

* * *

 _Flashback: Three Months_

Roxas could be found in the middle of an open field, practicing with his keyblade in order to keep his skills sharp. The heartless may not be here, but there was no guarantee that they would not show up eventually. Plus, practicing with his keyblade was one way to stay in shape.

Choosing the night to practice was a good idea on his part because nobody was around. He learned that most of the people on this planet didn't posses any abilities at all, making them extremely weak. And because of that, Roxas decided to keep his abilities a secret from the rest of the world.

Roxas went into a flurry of motions as he rapidly swung his keyblade while dashing around the field. If anyone else was watching, they would just see a white blur, but he was cohesively attacking while practicing with his light based attacks. It was effective, but he really had nothing to try it on. That was the limitations of practicing alone.

"Well well well. What do we have here?"

Roxas instantly stopped what he was doing as he turned to the source of the voice. He saw a woman standing there, the moon gently reflecting of her silver grey hair. She was a bit taller than he was and had a slender build, but even Roxas could tell by the way she stood that she was a worrier. He stared at her, nearly in awe because he had not seen another fighter in over a year.

"You seem pretty skilled." She said as she walked out into the field, slowly putting her hand on the sword strapped to her hip. "What number are you, Sekirei? I don't recognize those weapons."

Roxas blinked a few times, obviously confused as to what she was talking about. Sekirei? What the hell was that supposed to be? He saw her continue to approach him. His eyes widened a bit when she drew her sword, echoing the sound of metal rubbing against the sheath. The blade glimmered in the moonlight. Slowly, he traced his eyes down the weapon before they landed on the woman standing there.

That's when he saw it. The look in her eyes. It almost reminded him of Larxine but this was much more blood thirsty.

"Actually I really don't care at the moment. I have been itching for a good fight for a long time and watching you practice has gotten me all…excited." She whispered that last word as she suddenly shot at him with incredible speed.

Roxas barely had time to react as he lifted his keyblade in defense. Her sword met his weapon in a clash of sparks. Instantly, his arms felt the immense pressure of this woman's sword. He was actually lifted off the air and thrown backwards a bit by the sheer force of her swing.

Trying to get his footing, his eyes widened again when she rushed him, giving him to choice but to use light dash to speed around the woman. However, she just rushed behind him with similar speed.

"This woman is crazy!" Roxas thought to himself as he turned to face her. He drew back his keyblade and threw it at her.

The weapon spun at the woman, but she easily deflected it with her sword, causing it to fly away into the distance. She was coming closer, her sword drawn back ready to slice him up.

"That was a bad move, maybe you aren't as skilled as I though." She said before she swung down on him.

CLANG

The woman's eyes widened because right before her attack landed, there was a small flash of light. Her sword clashed hard with the weapon Roxas had just thrown at her. Somehow it had appeared in his hand again.

Roxas grit his teeth as he pushed against the woman away, swinging his keyblade at her, only for her to block it with the edge of her blade. Still, it caused her to jump back a bit, studying him with calculating eyes.

"I have never seen that kind of ability before from a Sekirei. What is your number?"

Roxas still didn't say anything as he got in his stance, ready for anything this woman would throw at him. Truthfully, he could have left a long time ago with the corridors, but she had perked his curiosity. She was the first person who displayed any sort of strength on this planet.

"Not saying anything? That's rude. I am number 04. Karasuba. It's a…Pleasure to meet you mystery man." She said as a grin split her face. "You know, I actually prefer it this way. No talking, just fighting."

With that, Karasuba shot at Roxas again. This time however, Roxas was ready. He was never the one to fight defensively, so it was his turn to make the move. He shot at her with impressive speed.

Karasuba's eyes widened a little, but her gleeful grin increased as she drew back her blade. "I like my men with some backbone."

And then it happened. Karasuba and Roxas met in the middle of the field, there weapon clashing with each other sending a small shockwave across the area. They pushed against each other, trying to get the advantage. However, it only ended as a stand still. Suddenly, the attacks started. Roxas and Karasuba went into a flurry of motions, attacking and defending at high speeds, the only sign was the frequent flying of sparks that would light up the area.

Roxas used light dash to shoot around her, but Karasuba had countered any kind of maneuver he would use with her own impressive speed. They sped around the fields, clashing blades and trying to get the upper hand over each other, but in all honestly, this woman was gaining the upper hand.

It was obvious to see that she had much more battle experience than he did, giving her an extreme advantage. Roxas had speed and strength, but this woman seemed to posses that with experience on top.

Roxas was panting as he blocked another strike aimed a this neck. However, that's when Karasuba landed a solid kick on his stomach, sending him flying backwards before he landed roughly on his back, the keyblade flying from his grasp. He tried to quickly get back up, but he was forced back down when this woman jumped on top of him.

Karasuba straddled Roxas's waist as she lifted her sword to Pearce him through the heart. She had a crazed grin on her face as her eyes lit up in aroused glee. Roxas had never seen someone so addicted to battle in his life. If he was going to survive this encounter, he needed to go all out.

Quickly, Roxas planted his palm on Karasuba's stomach. Karasuba blinked a few times as she glanced down at the hooded figure.

"Fire" Roxas murmured.

Immediately, a wave of heat erupted from his palm, blasting the Sekirei up into the air. She did a graceful backflip before landing on her feet. Her stomach was a bit charred from the point black spell, but it did little to quell her blood lust.

Roxas quickly shot to his feet before he stretched out his hand. The oblivion disappeared before reappearing in his hand with a flash of light. He got back into his keyblade stance as he prepared for the battle to continue. In all honesty, his heart was pumping, his adrenaline rushing, and his hand shaking in anticipation. He hadn't experienced this kind of rush in a long time and he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it.

Karasuba stared at Roxas with wide eyes. She gingerly reached up and felt the charred shin on her upper stomach.

"Homura?" She asked before she shook her head. "No, Homura does not use weapons. But who uses both fire and weapons?"

Karasuba was breathing heavily as excitement filled her being. This person was giving her a good fight and she didn't even know who he was. She had not had this much fun since Yumi.

Fun.

Slowly, a realization came to Karasuba as she forced herself to calm down. She wanted nothing more to drive her blade through this person's heart, but if she did that, then he would no longer be there to entertain her.

It was almost painful for the blood thirsty Sekirei, but she lowered her sword. She took a few deep breaths before she reluctantly sheathed her blade.

Roxas's eyebrows rose a bit as he saw what she was doing. He kept his guard up though because he knew better than to take this woman lightly.

Karasuba took a few more calming breaths before that overly sweet smile crossed her face. "It has been…very enjoyable mystery man. But I think this will have to continue later. What is today…Wednesday? How about we meet here next week and continue where we left off?" She said as she turned around, her haori flowing gently in the breeze. She looked over her shoulder with a sultry grin. "Don't be late for our date."

Roxas watched in complete bewilderment as she walked away.

"What the hell just happened?" Roxas whispered to himself.

 _Flashback end_

* * *

Roxas and Karasuba had been clashing blades for the past 30 minutes. She wasn't kidding when she said she was stressed. Roxas could feel the weight of each blow from her sword as they viciously attacked each other.

Speeding away, Roxas threw his keyblade at Karasuba, but it was easily deflected before she shot at him again. Disappearing in the corridor, Roxas appeared behind the crazed woman as he extended his hand. The keyblade landed in his palm before he attacked her blind spot.

The sound of metal hitting metal echoed through the field, signifying that his attack had been blocked. Karasuba had her sword over her back, blocking his keyblade as she looked over her shoulder with insane glee. She pushed him away and attacked again, forcing Roxas to defend. He deflected blow after blow as Karasuba continued her assault.

Biting his lower lip, Roxas released one of his hands form the keyblade and pointed it at the ground. "Blizzard."

Immediately, the grown froze, trapping the black Sekirei's feet in the ice. This gave Roxas the chance to speed backward s before throwing his keyblade again. Karasuba struggled to get her feet free, but looked up just in time to see the keyblade sailing at her. She deflected it, but didn't see Roxas until it was too late.

The nobody full on body tackled her, grabbing her wrist and forcing her to drop the sword. Her feet burst free of the ice as both he and she tumbled to the ground. Karasuba landed on her back with Roxas straddling her hips, his hands holding her wrists down. Honestly, it was a very compromise able situation.

Registering the position, Karasuba grinned. "If you wanted to be on top, all you had to do was ask."

Roxas didn't reply as he held her there. "You need to cool off."

"Oh, so you can talk. That's what your voice sounds like. You sound a bit young. How old are you?"

Roxas remained silent as he glared at her under his hood. He loosened his grip on the black Sekirei just a bit.

Big mistake.

Karasuba wasted no time in shaking her hands free before grabbing his shoulders and flipping him on his back so there positions were reversed.

"I guess I just prefer being on top. I think its more fun this way." She said as she glanced over to where her sword was laying. "Your lucky my sword is over there. I would love to skewer you right now."

Roxas gave her a flat look under his hood before he simply disappeared from under Karasuba with the Corridor. He appeared a few feet behind her with the oblivion in his hand. He reached down and picked up Karasuba's sword before throwing it to her.

"I'm done tonight." He said.

Karasuba snatched the blade out of the air as she gave a pout. "But we were having a moment. And besides, this might be the last time he meet like this."

Roxas blinked as the turned his head toward her.

"You see, Minaka is getting really curious as to where I go every Wednesday, and now that his…plans are being set into motion, I don't think I will have time to date you anymore. So…I'm dumping you. I was hoping that I could drive my sword through your heart, but this will have to do."

"This is your idea of dating?"

"I can't think of anything better." Karasuba responded as she stood up. "Minaka is a curious man so I wouldn't be surprised if he started using his satellites to find out where I go each Wednesday."

Roxas was just confused. Minaka? Was she talking about the owner of MBI? And what plan was she talking about? Roxas wanted to ask these questions, but he knew Karasuba a bit by now. She was never one to say much, preferring to let her sword do the talking. So he doubted that she would answer any of his questions.

Besides, she never really asked him anything besides their first encounter. Each time they met, she would usually just say a sentence of two before he would be fighting for his life.

Karasuba stood and dusted off her skirt before she sheathed her sword. "Hopefully we can do this again in the future. Until then, stay alive mystery man." She said as she turned and began to walk away.

Roxas watched her disappear into the shadows before he gave a sigh. "I need some ice cream." He said to himself as he unzipped his jacket and took it off, throwing it over his shoulder. He let to night air cool his tired and sweaty body. Luckily, he got away with just a couple scrapes here and there, but nothing to substantial.

The past three months, he had met with Karasuba where they would have a life threatening battle. Usually it was Karasuba who had the upper hand, but when Roxas would incorporate some of his magic, he could get an advantage. If he were honest with himself, he would say that he enjoyed these fights because they really helped him improve his battle experience and strategy. Fighting for your life would do that. And even though he didn't like to admit it, a part of him did enjoy fighting in general.

After all, that's all he did when he was first created.

Walking out of the park, Roxas made way toward a nearby convenience store so he could get some of his favorite ice cream. It was seconds later that he exited the store with two bars of his favorite flavor.

Sea salt ice cream.

"Oh the memories." Roxas said as he made his way back to the park. There was a bench he would usually sit at while enjoying the frosty dessert. And he could really use the time to relax and cool off his tired body.

Upon entering the park, Roxas noticed that there was someone already there. It was a bit surprising considering how late it was at night. What was even more shocking was the way she was dressed. All she had on was a dirty lab coat and nothing else. She must have been freezing.

Roxas took a few steps forward before he got a good look at her. She had shoulder length, light brown hair, and a completely empty look in her eye as she gazed almost lifelessly at the ground.

Empty.

Now that was something Roxas could relate too.

Giving a sigh, he was about to leave the park to enjoy his ice cream somewhere else, but then he noticed something familiar on the woman's forehead.

The symbol of the wagtail.

It was the exact same as the one that Karasuba had on her Haori. That perked his interest a bit. Did this woman know Karasuba?

Roxas hesitated, wondering if he should approach the woman or not. She didn't seem like she wanted to talk to anyone right now based on the look in her eye. However, if she had some relation to Karasuba, Roxas wanted to know because Karasuba was the only other person in this entire city who showed any sort of strength. If other people possessed power like her, he wanted to know what to expect. So making up his mind, he slowly approached the woman.

"Um…Excuse me?" Roxas started as he stood in front of the woman.

She didn't even look up at him as she stared blankly at the ground. The look in her eyes was so empty and for some reason, it looked familiar. Almost like he was looking in the mirror when he first joined the organization. Why would she posses suck a look?

"Um…are you ok?" He asked again, not really sure how exactly he was supposed to talk to this woman. He was never one to initiate conversation with anyone, being more the introverted type.

Slowly, the woman lifted her gaze just a bit, not really looking into his eyes, but signally just barely that she had heard him. That's when Roxas noticed that she didn't have any clothing on underneath that lab coat. He felt the blood rush to his face as he saw her largely exposed cleavage.

He cleared his throat as he turned away. "What…what are you doing out here dressed like that? Aren't you cold?" Roxas stammered, trying to get his heart under control.

The woman raised her gaze a bit more to look him in the face, giving Roxas a clear view of the symbol on her forehead. Indeed it was exactly like the one on Karasuba's Haori.

Suddenly, Roxas felt a large tug on his keyblade, as if he had found a keyhole that needed to be unlocked. He had not felt that feeling in a very long time, so it surprised him greatly.

"Ah…. I have no where else to go." The woman stated in a very quiet voice as she looked back down at the ground.

Roxas stared at her when she said that. In all honestly, he knew what that felt like because he had felt it many times before. The first was when he tried to leave the organization for the first time. He didn't know what else to do, so he went back to twilight tower.

He also felt that way when he first appeared on this world. With the organization gone and his friend Axel gone, he didn't have anywhere else to return to. Sure he could have gone back to Sora, but that would just result in him disappearing forever.

"You have no where else to go huh? I can relate to that." Roxas said solemnly as he took a few steps forward and sat down next to the woman. He unwrapped one of the ice cream bars before taking a bite.

The woman blinked a few times before she looked over at him. "You…can?"

Roxas took another bite of his ice cream as he nodded. "Yeah. It sucks when you have nowhere to go. No friends or family to return to. No purpose to fulfill, you just kinda sit there and wonder what's the point of existing."

The woman's eyes widened a bit. With those words, Roxas didn't know how hard he had hit home for her. "What…what did you do?"

Roxas took another bite of his ice cream as he sat back against the bench. "You just press forward until you find a purpose. Even though you have nowhere to go, you still exist. That's a gift that others would give anything to have."

The woman's eyebrows scrunched a bit as she looked back to the ground. "But…but what if my purpose to exist was taken from me?"

Roxas paused in mid-bite as he looked at the woman sitting next to him. He lowered his ice cream, his eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?"

"I'm…I'm Broken. No one will want me. No one can be my Ashikabi." She murmured as the lifeless look in her eye returned.

Roxas listened to the quiet woman as she spoke. Ashikabi? What was that supposed to be? And what did she mean by broken? How was a person supposed to be broken?

Broken.

That word brought memories back to Roxas about the time where Sora had his chain of memories broken by Naminé. He remembered because some of those memories found there way to him when he worked for Organization 13.

Roxas chuckled a bit, causing the quiet woman to look over at him. "You know, that reminds me of a friend I used to have." Roxas started as he raised his slightly melted ice cream to his mouth before taking another bite.

The woman was staring at him again, wondering what he was going to say next.

"In a way, he was broken too and when he wondered if he could every be fixed someone told him something that he, nor I, will ever forget." Roxas said as he took another bite.

"What?"

Roxas looked over at the woman with a small smile. "That even though the chain had been broken, the pieces were still there. Everything that made him who he was is still apart of him. With time, eventually the pieces could be put back together." Roxas finished off the ice cream bar before he tossed in into a nearby trashcan. He then unwrapped the second stick. "Can't the same be applied to you?" he finished as he held out the frosty dessert for her.

The woman stared at the ice cream before slowly reaching out with her other hand and taking it from him. She looked at the frozen desert in her hand as she slowly brought it to her mouth, taking a bit.

"Its salty…yet sweet." She said quietly as she took another bite.

Roxas watched as she slowly and methodically ate her ice cream. Honestly, he didn't expect to have this conversation with a complete stranger. He just wanted to ask about the crest, but it quickly turned into something that hit very close to him.

The woman took a few more bites before she paused and slowly lowered the icy dessert. "But…I can't be fixed."

Roxas frowned a bit. "Why not?"

Slowly, the woman lifted her other hand and pointed at the emblem in her forehead. "This prevents me from ever finding my Ashikabi."

Roxas looked at the symbol, remembering his original reason for approaching this woman. "What is that?" he asked as he suddenly felt another tug on his keyblade. His eyes widened again as he stared at the crest.

The woman paused for a moment as she lowered her hand and rested it in her lap. "It's the symbol of a scrapped number. As long as its there, I will be forever bound to no one."

Bound. What did she mean by that? What was a scrapped number supposed to be? And why was his keyblade acting like a caged animal that wanted to be freed. It was starting to tug uncontrollably at his mind, as if it desperately wanted to unlock something. If he weren't consciously holding it back, it would have appeared along time ago. But what was it reacting too?

"So your saying that your only broken because of that crest?" Roxas asked, causing the woman to nod. "So if it was gone, you could be fixed?"

The woman slowly looked at him again as she nodded her head. "If this crest was gone, I would be free to find my Ashikabi."

Free. Bound. These were the kind of words this woman was using when she referred to the crest on her forehead. His keyblade was a weapon that locked and unlocked anything. Could that possibly include the crest on her forehead? If that was true, what exactly was the crest and why did she have it? From what he could tell, she really didn't like it being there. It bound her for some reason, giving her the impression that she was broken. If that was the case, what was stopping him from helping her?

The answer…Nothing.

Pursing his lips, Roxas made his decision. He didn't know if this was going to work, but he felt like he needed to help this person for some reason. He turned his attention to her, looking her in the eye before he stood up.

"If there was a chance to remove that crest, would you take it?" Roxas asked as he turned to face her?

The woman's eyes widened just slightly before she nodded her head once. However, a doubtful look crossed her face as she looked back down at the ground, the ice cream slowly starting to melt in her hand. "Ah…I would give anything to be whole." She responded.

"Then…close your eyes." Roxas said.

The woman blinked a few times as she looked up at him. "What…what do you mean?"

"Can you promise to close your eyes and not open them until I say so?" Roxas asked seriously.

The woman stared at him for the longest time, completely confused as to what he was asking. But then again, what did she have to loose? Slowly, she nodded once as she closed her eyes.

Roxas bit his lip again as he felt another tug on his keyblade. This time, he didn't resist as he let the weapon appear in his right hand. It shimmered into existence before he pointed it at the woman sitting before him. Just as she promised, she kept her eyes closed. Roxas felt the keyblade begin to charge for the first time in over a year. The tip began to shine brightly, increasing in power before it was at its peak. The light lit up the park as the keyblade reached full power.

In an instant, a beam of light erupted from the tip of the keyblade, shooting straight at the woman's forehead before it collided with the center of the crest.

The woman gave a gasp of pain, but true to her word, she kept her eyes closed. She could feel a something penetrate the very core of the crest, traveling deep into the bound that bound her to her fate. Instantly, she felt the very bindings slowly start to rip. Finally, the bond suddenly shattered.

Roxas gave the keyblade a flick of the wrist. The sound of a lock clicking could be heard in the small park before the beam of light dissipated, leaving the park once again dark.

Now finished, Roxas stared at the crest, watching as it flashed once before it slowly began to disintegrate from off of the woman's head. He gave a small smile, seeing that his keyblade had done the trick. He didn't know why it worked, but he was happy that it did. Lowering his weapon, he let it disappear with a flash of light.

The woman however was shaking. She had felt something penetrate the crest and she knew what had just happened. Somehow, the bound that was forced on her had just been unlocked. Her cage had been opened and she was now able to fly into the skies like the rest of her kind. Still, she kept her eyes closed even though she desperately wanted to know what just happened.

Roxas nearly chuckled when he saw the woman still sitting there, her eyes clenched shut. He was impressed that she had kept her promise.

"You can open you eyes now." He said.

The woman slowly opened them, but she was having a hard time seeing because her eyes were filled with tears. She looked up at the boy, completely confused as to what he did.

"H-How?" Was all she managed to say.

Roxas gave her a small smile as he turned to walk away. "Seems that you weren't as broken as you thought." He said as he raised his hand to bid farewell. "You just needed someone to help you gather the pieces and put them back together. Hopefully you can find your ashi-asha…whatever soon." He finished as he started to walk away. Honestly, he still wanted to get more information about the crest, Sekirei, and Ashikabi, but she looked like she needed a moment.

The woman stared at the retreating boy, tears still in her eyes. She looked down at the ice cream bar he had given her. It had actually stopped melting in her hand, even having a small layer of frost on the outside.

Bum-Bump

Out of nowhere, the woman felt her heart begin to race. Blood immediately rushed to her face as a blush dusted her cheeks. As she looked up at the retreating boy again, her heart began to pound faster. Was it possible? Is this what reacting to someone was supposed to feel like?

Without a second thought, she was off the bench.

Roxas was nearly out of the part by now, making his way back to the alleyway where he would use the corridor of darkness to get back to his apartment. A lot had happened that day, and a lot of questions plagued his mind, but hopefully a good nights sleep would help.

Suddenly, he felt something grasp his shoulder. Quickly, he looked over his shoulder to see the same woman he had just helped standing there. He blinked a few times when he saw the state she was in. Her face was red and her breathing was labored, almost as if she had just ran a marathon.

"Are-Are you ok?" Roxas asked as he turned to face her. He was a bit surprised that she moved so fast. He only took a few steps before she was right behind him.

"…" The woman didn't say a word as she stared into his eyes. Her labored breathing increased as the strength in her legs vanished. She almost toppled over before Roxas caught her and tried to gently lay her on the ground, a concerned look in his eyes.

"Whoa, Hold on. What's gong on? Do you need a doctor?" He said. Now he was feeling terrible. Had something bad happened when he unlocked the crest that bound her? He was about to take off towards the nearest hospital when he felt the woman grab the front of his shirt with one of her hands, firmly keeping him there. Again, he was surprised by the amount of strength she had.

"My-My Ashikabi." She whispered.

Roxas blinked a few times. "Um, your what?"

"You're my Ashikabi." She said as she clenched the front of his shirt. "Please...let me be bound to you."

"Bound to me? What are you talking about?" Roxas asked. "Didn't I just free you? Why would you want to be bound again?"

"Ah…it's the greatest desire of a Sekirei to be bound to there Ashikabi. You are my Ashikabi." She whispered, her heart nearly going out of control. Every fiber in her being was screaming at her to get her wings.

Sekirei. He remembered Karasuba mentioning the Sekirei and some sort of plan that involved them. Did that mean this woman was one of these Sekirei? What was going on in this city?

"Please…" Roxas was pulled from his thoughts as the woman in front of him started shaking. "Please don't reject me. I-I don't want to be left alone."

Roxas looked down at the woman, his mind in a bit of turmoil. For some reason, he really wanted to help this person.

And…

Something in his mind was telling him that she could help him too.

Help fill the emptiness that lingered.

"Alright." Roxas said quietly.

The woman looked up at him, her eyes a bit wider. "Ah…you wont reject me?"

Giving a sigh, Roxas shook his head. It wasn't a second later that he felt the woman grasp the back of his head and wrench his face down to hers before there lips met.

Roxas froze as he felt her soft lips against his. He had many encounters with women in this world, but no one has ever kissed him before like this. His mind nearly shut down as his heart began to race out of control. It wasn't until he noticed something over the woman's shoulder the he regained his senses somewhat.

A pair of ice shards erupted from her back, resembling a pair of wings. As they continued to grow, the surrounding area suddenly grew very cold. A bright light burst from the wings, almost causing the nobody squint his eyes and try to pull away, but the woman's hand held his head firmly in place.

Finally, the light's dimmed down a bit as the woman let him go, a blush dusting her face. The surrounding area had a small layer of frost coating everything. Snow was lightly falling from the sky as well.

"Number 07. Akitsu. This is the ice of my pledge. Shatter the misfortunes of my Ashikabi." The now named Akitsu said.

Roxas tried to pick up his jaw, but was having a very hard time doing so. He looked down at the woman again, his mind in complete confusion.

She simply stood from the ground before raising the now overly frozen ice cream up to her mouth and taking a bite, a small smile gracing her lips.

Shaking his head, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "What have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

 _MBI_

Sirens were blaring in the MBI headquarters. People were running around in a panic, trying to figure out what just happened.

Takami stormed down at hall before she burst into the lab. "What in god's name is going on here?" She yelled.

"Takami, Sekirei number seven has just been winged!" Said a random adjuster.

Takami dropped the cigarette she was smoking as her eyes widened. "That's not possible. She was prematurely winged when adjusted. She just escaped hours ago. How in the world did she get winged?"

"We don't know. It just happened moments ago."

Takami clenched her fists. "Who is the Ashikabi? I want all the information you can get me. I want it NOW!"

"Right away mam."

"He He."

Takami felt her eyebrow twitch a bit as she looked to her left. Minaka was giggling as he looked at a giant screen displaying Akitsu and her statistics.

"Very interesting." He murmured. "Who would have thought that someone would be able to wing and un-wing able Sekirei."?

Takami growled a bit as she walked up to him. "That shouldn't be possible."

"Well apparently you were wrong. You see, right before she was winged, the bond she had before was severed without her becoming deactivated."

Takami's eyes widened a bit more when she heard that. "But how?"

"I wouldn't know, but I would say that things are getting really interesting."

* * *

 **Authors Note: Well, here is the end of chapter one. I hope I didn't rush anything. I like a well-paced story. Roxas has been living in Shinto for a year and a half, so I made him about 17 years old. He still has not had much experience with romance yet, but he is not completely oblivious like I made him in my last story. I don't want him to have that many Sekirei either because to many in a harem really takes away special moments each character can have with each other. And it comes to the point where there is no development between them. And no, Roxas is not taking the place of Minato in this story, nor will he be getting any of his Sekirei. Roxas will have his own and which ones, it's a secret for future chapters.**

 **If your wondering, the whole "unlock simple locks without having to summon the keyblade" thing was something i made up. I just thought it would be funny to see Roxas as a person who works for a lock smith.**

 **Now I know a lot of you will have questions, like what are Roxas's abilities, what Sekirei will he have, how was he able to unlock the bond, ext. I will explain everything in future chapters. You just have to be patient. There is a reason, I promise you.**

 **If you liked it, please leave a review. Thanks for reading.**

 **Until then!**


	2. Chapter 2: Tragedy

**Authors Note: Hey everyone. Thanks for the support on the last chapter and your feedback as well. I really appreciate it. Now to answer a couple questions.**

 **DPSS: This story is focused mostly on Roxas. I have an idea of how the others could be involved, but you will just have to wait and find out. And this story will have its own route. It will go more side-by-side cannon rather than follow it. I realized that the hardest part of writing my last story was the cannon because it was a bit boring to just rehash everything. It was staring to burn me out.**

 **Plabs0101: Not to worry. Mia will play a role in this story, but not as Roxas's Sekirei. Apologies for those who wanted it.**

 **Najex: Yes I was talking about Roxas's physical age rather that literal. I know he is only like 3 or 4 years old, but he wouldn't really tell anyone that. As for your other questions, you will have to read and find out.**

 **Mangahero18: Thanks, its kind of hard to capture Roxas, but I do my best. And like I said in my last chapter, I do this in my free time. I am not going to dedicate my life to fixing all the error especially when the chapters can go up to 10k words each.**

 **Thank you everyone else for the input and the reviews. I really appreciate it. I don't know if I will answer questions like this in the authors note again because it is a bit strange. I might just go with PM's instead. Unless you guys really want me to answer questions in the authors note.**

 **Also, if you don't know my style, I like writing decent sized chapters for you all because nothing is more disappointing that waiting for an update and it turns out to be short. I have a minimum rule of 5k words, but I usually do twice that.**

 **Fair warning, this chapter is a little dark.**

 **Crap, i made a error. The dude's name is Minaka, not Minato. Sorry about that.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Unbound

Chapter 2

It was a bit strange walking home after the events of the night. Usually, Roxas would have been able to easily use the corridors of darkness to get directly to his apartment, but now that he had a companion, that was no longer an option. Plus, she was currently wearing his coat and he couldn't safely use the Corridors without it. He had offered it to her because all she had on was that dirty and…blood stained lab coat. If anyone caught them walking down the street like that, it would have raised a few eyebrows.

Well…not that this was much better.

Currently she was struggling to zip the coat up, but because of her rather large chest, it was difficult. Eventually she just settled with keeping the upper part unzipped, displaying a rather large amount of cleavage.

Still, the coat looked a little awkward on her because she was a bit taller than Roxas. So the bottom the coat reached her lower calf. Her being barefoot posed a problem as well, but that wasn't something he could fix right now.

As they walked down the street in the dead of night, there were only a few random people passing by. They got a couple strange looks, but that's as far as it went. No one bothered or asked them any questions.

They continued to walk side by side before Roxas threw a glance over at his new…Sekirei. He still didn't know what he had gotten himself into when she made him her Ashikabi, but there was no going back now. From the moment he saw those icy wings over her shoulder, he felt some sort of…connection with her.

Speaking of ice, Akitsu was slowly finishing the ice cream bar. However, instead of throwing the stick away, she discretely tucked it away into her pocket.

"Akitsu." Roxas started, getting the woman's attention. "The ice back in the park, was that some kind of power you have?"

"Ah…" Akitsu paused as she raised her right hand. Suddenly, the temperature dropped a bit as ice crystals started to form above her palm. It eventually took the form of a jagged ice spike. It lightly floated in the air before it rested in her hand. She handed it over to Roxas who stared at it in bewilderment. "I can control ice." She said simply.

"Wow." Roxas marveled as he gingerly reached out and took the shard from her. He looked over the smooth surface, clearly impressed with her ability. He knew that she might have had some sort of power because she was one of these so-called "Sekirei" but to be able to control ice like this was quite remarkable. Even with his own spells, it didn't come close to the amount of control Akitsu just displayed.

But what exactly were these Sekirei? Karasuba showed immense strength and Akitsu could control ice. If Karasuba and Akitsu were around, then were there more Sekirei out there? Did they have different powers as well?

"This is pretty amazing." Roxas said as she turned the shard over in his hand. "Do many people know about Sekirei?"

Akitsu shook her head.

"Then lets keep it that way. I don't think many people are used to seeing others control ice." Roxas said.

"Ah…yes Ashikabi-sama."

Roxas cringed a bit at the formalities. "And please, just call me Roxas. I really don't like formalities."

Akitsu paused for a moment as she looked over at her Ashikabi. On one hand, she wanted to refer to her Ashikabi with respect, but on the other hand, she didn't want to do something her Ashikabi didn't like. So she chose the lesser of two evils.

"Ok…Roxas." She said as a small blush crossed her cheeks.

The sound of loud music and people tore Roxas and Akitsu from there conversation. The absurdly loud sound was an easy sign that they were closing in on the apartment complex where he lived. He sighed as he dropped the ice shard and walked toward the entrance, Akitsu right behind him. From what it looked like, the party had spilled out into the common areas, allowing people to dance on the stairs while drinking. It was rare that they would have parties this big.

As they approached the building, there were a number of people sitting on the stairs that lead to each apartment room. They were laughing and drinking themselves silly like they usually did. However, once they got close enough, one of his more questionable neighbors noticed them coming their way. Slowly, he stood from his seat on the stairs as he staggered over to them.

"Why hello there beautiful." He slurred as caught sight of Akitsu standing next to Roxas. "What are you doing with this scrawny looser. Why don't you ditch the runt and have some fun with us." He gestured over to a few of his thug friends.

Akitsu narrowed her eyes a bit. She was about to stretch forth her hand, but Roxas gently grabbed her wrist. She blushed a bit at the sudden contact.

"Akitsu, we are trying to keep a low profile. And besides, it's not worth it." Roxas whispered to her as he looked at the dunk man. "Get out of the way Saiji."

Saiji looked down at Roxas before he belted a laugh in his face, causing Roxas to cringe at the heavy smell of alcohol on the man's breath. "So the runt can speak more than a few words at a time. And here I thought you were too stupid to answer any of my question." He said as he took a long swing from his can of beer.

"I make it a habit not to answer stupid questions." Roxas replied as he pushed past the man.

Saiji staggered a bit, causing him to spill a little of his drink on his dirty shirt. A glare crossed his face as he angrily threw the can on the ground. "You have quite the mouth, you little shit. You think you're better than us? You should be grateful we even tried to invite you to hang out with us."

Roxas ignored him as he and Akitsu made there way back to the stairs. However, they were stopped as Saiji's friends stood in their way.

Saiji didn't seem to like being ignored very much as he grit his teeth. He stormed up to them before grabbing Roxas's shoulder. "You listen when I'm talking to you."

Roxas narrowed his eyes as he looked over his shoulder at the drunken man. He grabbed Saiji's hand and forcefully removed it from his shirt. He then proceeded to painfully twist it, causing Saiji to wince and slowly fall to his knees as the twisting continued.

"Let me go you little shit!" He slurred through clenched teeth.

Roxas scoffed as he released the man, allowing Saiji to tenderly grasp his wrist in pain. Shaking his head, he turned to leave again. However, he was once again blocked as Saiji's friends refused to move. They sat there with there arms crossed and glares on there faces.

"You think I will let you get away with that? I warned you not to mess with me." Saiji said as he stood on his feet.

"I don't want any trouble, just leave us alone." Roxas responded, his irritation rising a bit.

"Why? So you can have your way with your own personal Bitch?" Saiji responded as he gestured to Akitsu.

Roxas didn't know why, but a sudden rage filled his entire being. The next second later, Saiji found himself flat on his back curtsy of Roxas planting his fist in the man's face.

Saiji howled in pain as he grabbed nose. Blood was seeping between his fingers. The two thugs reacted instantly, charging down the stairs in an attempt to restrain Roxas.

However…

They suddenly lost there footing as they slipped on the steps, causing them to painfully fall down the stairs. They crashed on the ground in a complete daze.

"Uh…what the hell!" One of the thugs said as he tried to regain his senses. He looked back at the metal steps before his eyes widened a bit. "Why is there ice on the stairs?"

Roxas blinked as he looked over at Akitsu, who had a very faint smile on her face. "Very discrete Akitsu." He whispered to her before he looked at the three downed thugs. "I think you might have had a bit too much to drink tonight."

Saiji slowly stood up, grinding his teeth together. "Don't just Lie there, Get him!" He yelled to his friends as he pinched him nose, trying to stop the bleeding.

The two thugs stood up before starting to make there way over to Roxas and Akitsu. They were grinning as they cracked their knuckles, ready to give him a beat down.

"What in the name of god is going on here?"

Everyone froze as they turned their attention to a lone person slowly approaching the scene. She was an elderly lady wearing a purple Kimono. She had her hair tied up in a tight bun and a fierce look in her eye.

"Nozomi." Roxas greeted.

Nozomi gave him a stern look as she walked up to everyone with her hands on her hips. "Well? I'm waiting?"

Saiji pointed at Roxas, his hand still on his nose. "He attacked me for no reason. I didn't do anything."

Nozomi turned to Roxas, her eyes narrowing a bit. "Is that true?"

"Mostly." Roxas replied as he rolled his eyes as Saiji's usual behavior.

Nozomi shook her head as she looked up at the apartment complex. She could see lights flashing and people dancing not only in their rooms, but out on the common stairs as well.

"If I were being truthful with you, that blasted music playing is playing so loud that I'm surprised he didn't punch you earlier." Nozomi Growled. "What is that trash anyway?"

Saiji looked like he just swallowed a lemon as he stared at his landlady.

"I mean seriously, if I have to come out here again because your music is so loud, I will kick you out of my apartments without a second though. Turn. It. Down." She finished, doing a very good impression of a saber-tooth tiger.

Saiji and his friend all shivered as they stood up straight. "Y-Yes mam." He said as he took off up the stairs, motioning for his goons to accompany him.

"As for you Roxas…" Nozomi said, getting Roxas's attention. "I am disappointed in you. I thought you were better than this."

Roxas blinked a few times before he looked down at the ground. Honestly, he felt a little bad, almost as if he was child being scolded by his parents, but he knew she was right. He didn't usually lash out, but something that Saiji said made him so angry for some reason.

"I'm sorry." Roxas said quietly.

Nozomi sighed as she walked up to him. "Well…I guess I can't blame you that much. With those neighbors, I don't know how you lasted so long without punching one." She said as she turned her attention to Akitsu. "A friend of yours?"

Roxas nodded as he gestured to his Sekirei. "This is my friend, Akitsu. She is a…she recently moved here."

Nozomi stared at the chesty woman, noticing her rather interesting attire. "Why is she dressed like that? Isn't that your coat?"

"Erm…" Roxas fumbled. He didn't really want to explain what happened. Its not like she would have believed him anyway. Besides, he was still having a hard time believing that people like Akitsu existed in this world. He wanted to keep it on the down low for now. "All her stuff was stolen. I gave her my coat until we can get her some new things, and she has no were else to go."

Nozomi looked at Roxas with an eyebrow raised. "Really?" She said with a very unconvinced tone in her voice. Roxas started to sweat a little at the look she was giving him, almost as if his old landlady could see right through him.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter." She said as she looked over at Akitsu. Her eyes softened a little as she looked at the barefooted woman wearing a coat a few sizes to small for her. "You poor thing. You and Roxas come to my house. I have a few spare things you could ware for tonight."

Akitsu blinked a few times as she looked over at Roxas, almost as if she was asking his permission.

Roxas stared at his landlady. "R-Really?"

Nozomi looked over at Roxas with a smile. "Of course. I can't just leave her wearing that. Its doesn't look that comfortable around the chest area. Does it darling?" Nozomi said as she glanced at Akitsu's sizeable chest that was barely contained by the coat.

"Ah…She's right." Akitsu said as she looked down at the coat. "Thank you."

"Not at all darling. Please follow me, and you too Roxas. I need to talk to you about starting trouble." She responded with an overly sweet smile that reminded Roxas a bit of Karasuba.

Roxas felt his insides turn a little. "Yes mam."

* * *

It was moments later that Roxas found himself sitting in Nozomi's living room with a cup of tea in front of him. Nozomi and Akitsu had retreated into Nozomi's room so she could give Akitsu a few of her old things to try on. Also, Nozomi demanded that Akitsu take a quick bath because she was a bit dirty.

It was a little while later until Nozomi finally entered the room. She sat down on the couch across from Roxas with a stern look on her face. He had seen that look many times before when the older woman had to deal with troubling tenants.

"Roxas, even though I said I don't blame you for hitting Saiji, that's still is a bit surprising for you. I told you that if it got too loud that you could come here to study."

"Well..." Roxas started as he scratched the back of his head. "The real reason I hit him was because he called Akitsu a bitch. I don't know why, but it just made me so angry."

At hearing this, any disappointment Nozomi felt for Roxas vanished in an instant. Instead a fiercer look crossed her eyes. "He did? Well I might just have to have a few words with my troublemaking tenant." She growled.

"Nozomi, why would I react like that? I don't usually get that angry."

Nozomi gave a small sigh, not surprised anymore that Roxas would ask these kinds of questions. She had known this boy for the better part of a year, so she realized that there was something a little off about him. Especially when he asked questions like this. It was almost as if he was a child…A very mature but innocent child.

"Well, when people say things like that about people we care for, it's natural to react that way." She said. "I know because if anyone would insult my late husband and son, I simply wouldn't tolerate it." She said as she threw a very discrete glance over at the small shrine in the corner of the room.

"Hmm" Roxas hummed to himself as he pondered her words. "So it's because I care for her? That's the reason I got so angry?"

Nozomi nodded as she gave a small laugh. "Usually people don't care when they themselves are insulted, but when they hear bad things being said about the people they care for, they tend to lash out more."

"Why is that?" Roxas asked, genuinely curious.

"Because it's a humans natural instinct to protect and serve those who are precious to them? It has a lot to do with love."

"Love." Roxas murmured as he chuckled a bit. "I still have a lot to learn about that."

Nozomi giggled a bit into the sleeve of her kimono. "You're still young Roxas. You have plenty of time to learn. And besides…" She said as a teasing glint entered her eye. "I think you may learn a thing or two with that one around." She finished as she pointed over Roxas's shoulder.

Roxas turned his head to see what she was pointing at. What he saw caused his mind to nearly shut down. Akitsu was standing there in a modest light blue kimono. A snowflake pattern dotted the attire and a slightly darker blue Obi was wrapped around her waist, emphasizing her womanly curves. Her light brown hair glistened slightly from her recent shower, giving her a radiant look.

"Ah…How does it look?" Akitsu asked quietly.

Roxas was not in the state of mind to respond. He had never seen anyone quite as beautiful until this moment. His heart was thumping wildly and so loudly against his chest that swore everyone in the room could hear it.

"Beautiful." Roxas whispered just loud enough for Nozomi and Akitsu to hear.

Immediately, Akitsu's face flared up in a brilliant shade of red. She diverted her eyes a bit out of embarrassment. "Ah…thank you."

Nozomi let out a light giggle as she watched the two. She poked Roxas in the shoulder to snap him out of his trance. "Awe, does someone have a little crush on Akitsu? I didn't know you were into older woman. If I hade known that, I wouldn't have let you into my house so many times before. You might have taken advantage of an old widow like myself."

Roxas sputtered as he turned to the old landlady, a disbelieving look in his eye. "Seriously?"

Nozomi laughed a bit as she beckoned Akitsu to sit with then. Slowly, the quiet Sekirei walked over to the couch before sitting right next to Roxas. She glanced over at the boy before slowly reaching out and grabbing his arm in a very light embrace.

Roxas's heart was pounding again as he felt Akitsu capture his arm in a soft hug. He had never really had this kind of experience with a woman before and it was driving his heart wild.

Akitsu had a satisfied look on her face as she simply held his arm close before looking back at the older woman.

Nozomi couldn't help but smile at the two's antics. It looked like they were both new to this kind of interaction. Oh, how nice it must have been to be young. "So Akitsu, what are you going to do now?"

"Ah…" Akitsu paused as she thought about her answer. "I am going to stay with Roxas."

"Really?" Nozomi asked as she glanced over at the blushing Roxas. "In that small apartment? You know that's a single bedroom contract. I may be lenient, but will you really be comfortable?"

"As…long as I'm with Roxas, I will be fine."

Both Nozomi and Roxas's eyes widened a bit when they heard that. Roxas glanced over at the Sekirei who was holding his arm. He knew he felt a connection when she made him her Ashikabi, but hearing those words really confused the Nobody. Why would she be satisfied as long as she was with him?

Nozomi was a bit surprised as well. It seemed that Akitsu and Roxas had a connection that ran deeper than just friends. But if that was the case, how come Roxas had never mentioned her before? Was he too embarrassed?

"Hmm…well, if that's how you feel." Nozomi said before she looked over at Roxas. "But are you sure you don't want to move into a slightly bigger apartment?"

Roxas bit the inside of his cheek as he shook his head. "I…can't afford to right now. Finances will be a bit tight for a while."

Nozomi nodded as she smiled. "I understand, and I'm impressed. Usually people your age want everything, the biggest apartment, cars, money, but you are always satisfied with what you can afford, rather than what you want."

Roxas gave a small smile as he scratched the back of his head. "Thanks." He said before an idea popped into his head. He looked up at his old landlady. "Um…would it be to much trouble to ask for your help tomorrow?"

Nozomi quirked her eyebrow. "What do you need?"

"Well…" Roxas started as he glanced over at his new companion. "Akitsu needs to go shopping for some things. You know, cloths, and…other stuff. I don't really know what to get her."

Nozomi blinked a few times as she laughed again. "Of course I will help you. After all, I don't expect you to know a woman's need yet." She said as she glanced up at Akitsu. "Keep the Kimono though. It looks very nice on you."

"Ah…are you sure?" Akitsu asked.

"Yes my dear. Oh, and let me get you some pajamas as well. Kimono's aren't very comfortable to sleep in after all." Nozomi said as she slowly stood from the couch and made her way back to her bedroom.

Akitsu and Roxas were left alone in complete silence, the only sound coming from the grandfather clock in the corner of the room.

"Roxas…" Akitsu said, getting Roxas's attention. She wrapped her arms a little tighter around his arm, holding it close to her. "Thank you."

Roxas blinked a few times as he looked over at his Sekirei. "For what?"

"Ah…For everything. We barely know each other, but you're so kind. You agreed to be my Ashikabi even though you didn't know what that meant. And you freed me from the cage that bound me." She said as she slowly rested her head on his shoulder. "I want to be with you forever."

Roxas stared at her. How was he supposed to respond to something like that? No one had really ever said anything like that to him. The closest being Axel when they agreed to be friends forever. And…why was she so dedicated to him. He didn't do anything to deserve it.

"W-Why though?" Roxas asked.

Akitsu raised her head as she looked into his deep blue eyes. "Because…you are my Ashikabi. You are the one I reacted to, the one I want to be with forever."

"Forever." Roxas murmured as he mulled over her words. "That is a long time."

"Ah…it is." She agreed as she lowered her head a bit. "Is…is it to much to ask?"

For some reason, Roxas could feel the fear behind her words. He glanced down at her slightly saddened expression and couldn't help but feel a bit bad. He felt the loneliness that she had felt in the time where she thought she would never have her Ashikabi. He felt her fears of being abandoned and left alone.

That was something he could relate to.

"No, it's not too much." Roxas said, causing Akitsu to look up at him. "Maybe we can help each other fill the loneliness in our hearts."

For the first time, Akitsu was able to feel the debts of Roxas's heart. There was immense sadness and loneliness there. But going deeper, there was something that even surprised the normally stoic Sekirei.

A void.

Roxas was…mostly empty. Where he should have been filled with emotions from endless amounts of memories, instead there was almost nothing, as if his very existence was limited to a couple of years at most. However, from what little he did have, she could tell that it was slowly growing.

Akitsu stared at her Ashikabi in disbelief. How did such a sad existence even be? Why was her Ashikabi like this? What happened to him?

Akitsu was about to open her mouth, but was interrupted by the living room door opening.

"I think these may fit. Though her chest size is impressive, I was nothing to scoff at in my youth." Nozomi grinned.

"Too much information." Roxas said flatly, causing Nozomi to giggle a bit. She walked over to Akitsu before handing her the purple silk pajamas.

"Now try not to be too loud…and wear protection. You don't need to be a father at this time in your life." Nozomi said, a grin splitting her old face.

Both Roxas and Akitsu blushed up a storm as they stood from the coffee table. "I will see you tomorrow." Roxas said as grabbed Akitsu's wrist and basically dragged her out of the house at an unusually fast pace.

Nozomi just giggled in her sleeve. "Being young must be nice."

* * *

Roxas and Akitsu made their way back to the apartment. The music had quieted down significantly and the stairs were clear, allowing them to get back to his apartment quite easy.

Roxas shook his head as Nozomi's words played through his head. He even shivered a bit when he remembered a while back when Nozomi gave him "The Talk" after she realized his apparent lack of information. She was really graphic as well, causing him to have quite the sleepless night.

"Oh my god, what a night." Roxas said as he and Akitsu made there way up the stairs to his apartment. As they approached the door, Roxas had to give a sigh when he saw a few insults spray-painted on his door. Things like "Little shit" or "landlords Bitch" were a few to mention. This wasn't the first time this happened though. It seemed that Saiji didn't like it the way Roxas brushed him off, being the big man in the complex and all.

Akitsu came up behind him, her eyes narrowed when she read the string of insults on the door.

"Don't worry about it Akitsu, I will just paint it over tomorrow." Roxas said as he unlocked the door and walked through, Akitsu following behind.

"Ah…does that happen often?"

"A few times." Roxas said as he threw his backpack on the couch. "You hungry?"

Akitsu blinked a few times before shaking her head.

"Well…" Roxas said as he gestured to the surrounding area. "It's not much, but make yourself at home. I'm going to take a shower."

Akitsu paused for a moment before nodding. She would have offered to join him had she not had already taken a bath.

As Roxas retreated into the bathroom, Akitsu stood in the middle of the room while looking around. Having nothing else to do, she carefully started to remove the kimono. She then took the Pajamas Nozomi gave her before dressing herself again.

When she was finished, she looked around the apartment, still trying to comprehend everything that had happened to her that day. She had broke out of MBI, was freed from her bounds, found her Ashikabi, and even made a new friend in Nozomi. Just that morning she didn't think any of that would happen. She thought that MBI would just discard her because she was broken, which was part of the reason she escaped.

But now, she was in her Ashikabi's apartment. And he was everything she hoped him to be. Kind, selfless, brave, caring. But there was something else about him that almost bothered her.

It was his emptiness.

When she got that small glimpse into his heart, she saw how…hollow he was. He wasn't completely hollow, but it was much more that what she would have expected from someone as old as him. It made her wonder if her Ashikabi was even more broken that she was. But what was the cause of that emptiness? What happened to her Ashikabi?

The sound of the bathroom door opening caused her to snap out of her pondering. She glanced over at the door, only for her eyes to widen and her heart to beat out of control.

Roxas was standing there with his towel wrapped around his lower half, while the rest of him was naked. The god's could have carved his torso. His body was that of an athletic swimmer, lacking any ouch of excess body fat. His golden spikey hair was lightly damp from his recent shower, but it added to the overall sex appeal.

Roxas felt a small shiver go through his spine as he looked over at Akitsu. She was sitting on his couch in the pajamas Nozomi had given her. Her mouth was slightly ajar and a large blush dusted her cheeks. He gave a small gulp because she looked like she was about to jump him.

"Um…I'm just going to change. W-Wait out here for a few minuets." He stuttered as he retreated into his bedroom.

Roxas had no idea how right he was. If he had stood there any longer, Akitsu felt like she wouldn't have been able to stop herself.

Roxas was standing behind the closed door to his bedroom, his hand over his heart as he tired to calm it down. For some reason, he knew what Akitsu was feeling. He gave a sigh as he fetched out a black nightshirt, underwear, and a pair of shorts before putting them on. He sat at the edge of his bed as he rubbed his eyes.

This day had been crazy. So much happened all at once. This morning, he had woken up thinking that it would just be another casual day, ending with a life and death match between himself and Karasuba. Now he had this woman in his life and from the looks of it, she was going to stay for a very long time. Honestly, he didn't know what to do. He was never in this kind of situation before, but now he not only had to look after himself, but he had to look after Akitsu as well. It scared him a little because he could barely support himself. He didn't know how to take care of a woman. He didn't know what she needed.

A soft knock on the door caused him to look up.

"Roxas." Akitsu's soft voice called through the door.

Roxas stared at the door for a few seconds before giving a sigh. "Come in."

Akitsu slowly opened the door, a concerned look on her face usually expressionless face. "Ah…are you ok?"

"What do you mean?" Roxas asked with his eyebrow cocked.

Akitsu paused as she slowly made her way into the room. "You…just felt worried."

Roxas blinked a few times, his eyes widening a little. "How did you know?"

Walking closer, Akitsu sat on the bed next to him. "The Sekirei bond. It allows us to vaguely feel each others emotions."

At hearing that, Roxas stared at the woman sitting next to him. Now it made sense as to how he could tell what she was feeling and vice versa. He knew he felt some sort of connections when he gave Akitsu her wings, but he didn't know that it had this kind of affect.

"What's…wrong?" Akitsu asked

Roxas chuckled a bit as he rested his chin on his intertwined fingers. "You're right, I am a little worried. I don't know what to do in this situation. I don't know how to take care of you. What can I even offer you anyway? Why did you choose me?"

Akitsu paused as she slowly scooted closer to him before grasping his arm again, intertwining her fingers with his. "Ah...Us Sekirei react to those who we are destined to be with. You are that person for me Roxas."

Roxas glanced over at Akitsu. "I've been meaning to ask. What is a Sekirei exactly? And what is an Ashikabi supposed to be?"

Akitsu opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sudden sound of Roxas's phone ringing. Both Roxas and Akitsu glanced over at the phone before Roxas reluctantly picked it up with his free hand. "Sorry Akitsu, hold on for a second." He said as he put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"CONGRATULATIONS!" yelled a voice on the other end.

Roxas cringed as held the phone away at arms length, looking at the screen. Incredibly, whoever had called him had used the video form of calling. A mans face was on the screen of his phone. He had white hair that seemed to defy gravity sideways, and a large pair of glasses. He has a very unsettling grin as his beaming face displayed onto the camera screen.

"Who the hell are you?" Roxas asked in surprise.

The instant Akitsu saw who was on the screen, her eyes widened in terror. She immediately moved out of the phones camera in order to escape the gaze of this man.

"Too late Akitsu dear. You've been a naughty little birdy, escaping like that. And who would have though you would have already got your wings." The man said as he turned in attention to Roxas. "I again congratulate you Roxas. My name is Minaka, chairman of MBI. Upon you winging Akitsu, you have entering the Sekirei game!"

"Game?" Roxas asked as he glared into the phone. "What game?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked. You see, there are 108 Sekirei in this city. When they find their Ashikabi, they are winged. The game is to have all the Sekirei and their Ashikabi fight and fight until there is only one left."

Roxas narrowed his eyes at the overly joyful man. "Why?"

"Why not!?" Responded the man. "A battle between powered individuals all racing to see who will rise above the heavens. Doesn't that sound exciting?"

Roxas gave the phone a flat look. "No."

"Well, aren't you just boring." Minaka said as he cleared his throat. "Naturally, this game is a secret, so keep quiet about it, or else."

"Or else what?" Roxas challenged.

"MBI has many resources. You wouldn't want anyone to happen to your dear little landlady would you? Or maybe that cute librarian?"

Roxas felt his teeth grind together as the man continued to talk. He obviously made his point. Already, Roxas was beginning to hate this man and his obnoxious smile.

"Well, now that the formalities are over, I have to say Roxas, you are a curious individual. I have my own questions that I would like answered. For example, how you were able to wing the broken Sekirei…" Roxas noticed Akitsu shrink away a little. "Or why is it that until a year and a half ago, you didn't exist. But what's the fun in you answering those questions. I just can't get over how excited I am to discover more about you. I do hope you manage to stay in the game long enough for me to find out, but I don't think you will have a problem with that. Akitsu is…a Very powerful Sekirei."

"Stay in the game..." Roxas said as he narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? How do we loose?"

"Well, its simple. If your Sekirei get hurt enough, her crest will deactivate. The bond that is shared between you two will be severed forever and you will never see her again." Minaka replied, his smile ever present.

Roxas froze. His blood ran cold as he stared at the man in his phone. If he lost, he would loose Akitsu forever?

"By the look on your face, it seems that you understand the gravity of loosing. Your bond with the Sekirei is something special, as you can already tell. Make sure you don't loose Roxas. You have perked my curiosity, so I am rooting for you. Bye!" With those last words, Roxas's phone went black. He sat on the edge of his bed as he mind reviewed everything he had learned.

So, it turned out that Akitsu was apart of this "Game" and if they lost, he would never see her again. Not only that, but there was 108 of these powerful people in this city that were being winged just like he had winged Akitsu.

Karasuba…

If these Sekirei were as strong as Karasuba, then this would be a problem.

It looked like he would be forced to fight…again.

"Roxas…" Akitsu started as she rested a hand gently on his shoulder.

"I…I think I just need to sleep on it." Roxas said as he turned his attention back to Akitsu. "You can have the bed. I will take the couch tonight." He said as he stood up. He was about to walk out the door when he felt Akitsu grab his wrist. He glanced down at her, his eyebrow raised. Gently, she started to pull him down towards the bed. He didn't resist.

Eventually, he found himself lying on his back with Akitsu resting her head against his chest. Normally, this would have caused his heart to beat out of control, but his mind was too preoccupied at the moment.

"Roxas." Akitsu said.

"Hmm?"

"Ah…I'm sorry."

Roxas looked down at the top of her head. "For what?"

"…Getting you involved. I just wanted an Ashikabi so bad that I didn't think about what it would put you through." She said as she wrapped one of her arms around his midsection.

Roxas rested his head back against the pillow. Slowly, he raised his hand and rested it on her head, gently feathering his fingers through her hair. "No, I made my choice. And…I don't regret it. You were someone I wanted to help, so I did."

Akitsu's eyes widened just a sliver as she felt his fingers gently thread through her hair. It felt wonderful. She was also touched by his words.

But…

"I also want to help you." She murmured.

Roxas paused as he looked down at her again, this time she looked up, there eyes meeting.

"What do you mean?"

"Your void. I can feel it." She said as she rested a hand on his chest, right over his heart. "I don't know how you got this way, but I want to help you… like you helped me."

Roxas's eyes widened a bit. He didn't know the bound that he shared with this woman would go this far. Slowly, he closed his eyes and gave a deep exhale. "I don't know if anything have help fill my empty heart."

"Ah…it's not empty…" Akitsu said, causing Roxas to meet her gaze again. She rose up slightly before gently placing her lips on his. Immediately, bright wings slowly grew from her back. It lit up the entire room as she lingered there for just a few seconds. She pulled back before resting her head back on his chest. "Just young."

Roxas felt his heart hammer against his chest again, her words echoing through his mind. Maybe…she was right. He had learned in the past year and a half that the more he experience life, the more he realized the growth of his own heart.

However…

Even though it was growing, there was still an emptiness that lingered after he split with Sora.

The emptiness of still being the mere shadow of someone else.

Resting his hand on Akitsu's back, he closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep. If there was one thing he knew, it was this…

He did not want to loose his Sekirei.

* * *

It was the next morning that Roxas's eyes slowly fluttered open. The sun was shining brightly through his window because he didn't have any blinds. The first thing he noticed was a significant amount of pressure on his upper body. Looking down, he noticed that Akitsu had migrated up his body a little. Her head was buried in the crook of his neck, her soft breaths lightly tickling his skin. Her arms constricted around his torso like a snake and her upper body was directly on top of his. There legs were slightly intertwined as well.

All in all, it was a very…comfortable, yet uncomfortable position as his heart started beating out of control again. She was using him like a full body pillow.

"Um…Akitsu, time to wake up." He said as he took a few deep breaths.

"Mmm." Akitsu moaned as her eyes slowly opened. She sat up as she gave a small yawn. She then looked down to see that she was straddling a heavily blushing Roxas. She blinked a few times as a small blush dusted her own cheeks.

"Ah…Good morning Roxas."

"Good morning…can you please let me up? Nozomi will be waiting for us soon."

Akitsu paused for a moment before nodding. Slowly and methodically, she climbed off of Roxas, allowing him to move off the bed and stand up. He stretched his arms into the air. He was feeling a lot better now that he had a good night sleep. He turned to his Sekirei before giving her a soft smile.

"We should get dressed. Nozomi isn't really the patient type." Roxas said as he reached into his clothing drawers and stared pulling out a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt. "I'll go in the other…" Roxas started as he turned around. Akitsu was already in the process or removing her pajama top, revealing a perfectly toned stomach and the lower half of her breasts.

Roxas's face went red again as he turned around. "Akitsu! Wait until I'm out of the room at least."

"Ah…Why?" Akitsu asked as she sent a curious look at him.

"Why…Um…"

"I…don't mind if Roxas sees me." She said, her face a little bit red.

Based on his previous experience with how his body reacted to this woman, he knew if it went any further, he might just end up fainting.

"Just…I'm not used to it. Lets take this one step at a time." He said.

Akitsu paused again before she nodded her head. She waited for him to leave the room before she removed the pajamas and started to get dressed in the snowflake Kimono. Through the bond, she could understand what Roxas was talking about. He had almost no experience with woman, so moving too fast may do more damage than good.

"Ah…I will be patent." She said to himself as she exited the room.

Roxas had already changed into his cloths and was sitting at his desk when he heard Akitsu walking up behind him. He was making a few calculations in a notebook when he turned to look at her with a smile.

"Well, I may go over a little, but I think we can manage this month." Roxas said as he closed the notebook. "I may have to take a couple more shifts at the locksmith, but everything will work out."

Akitsu lowered her gaze a bit, obviously feeling a little bad she was forcing him to spend money for her sake.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Roxas said as he stood from the desk and made his way over to the front door. Upon opening it, there was a package on the floor mat. Raising his eyebrow, he picked it up and opened it. He blinked when he pulled out a black card with big bold letters labeled MBI.

"What's this supposed to be?" He asked as he held the card out.

"Ah…" Akitsu said as she recognized the card. "That's the MBI credit card. Each Sekirei is given one to give to there Ashikabi. It has no upper limit." Akitsu replied as she stared at the card. "I…believe since I was winged, they mailed one to you."

Roxas blinked as he stared at he card. "So this is from that guy, Minaka?" he asked, causing Akitsu to nod. He narrowed his eyes as he remembered Minaka's threats against Nozomi and Sango. He glared down at the card before crushing it in his hand, making his Sekirei's eyes widen slightly.

"Why…did you do that?"

"He threatened Nozomi and Sango. I don't need anything from him." Roxas growled as he tossed the crushed card over the railing and into a nearby dumpster. "Lets go, Nozomi is waiting for us."

* * *

It was later that Roxas, Akitsu, and Nozomi were walking down the local shopping district. Nozomi showed the way with an unusually happy gleam in her eye. She led Akitsu and Roxas to all the women's clothing and care stores the place had to offer. She took great joy in picking out different clothing suggestions for Akitsu to try on and having her model them for Roxas. That would usually send the poor innocent Nobody into a blushing frenzy.

Out of everyone, Nozomi seemed to enjoy this the most. She had an energetic spring to her step despite her old age. By the time nearly three hours past, Roxas and Akitsu were exhausted while Nozomi still somehow had energy to spare. How? They would never know.

"Wow, you two are pathetic!" Nozomi said as Roxas and Akitsu sat at a small restaurant table just outside the shopping center. It was a beautiful sunny day out so they were enjoying their meal in the outside tables. Roxas was leaning back against his chair; quietly taking a sip from his drink while Akitsu was enjoying a simple hamburger. Both looked like they were worn out.

"I think we have enough." Roxas commented as he looked over at the numerous shopping bags near the table. "Besides, why was I the only one carrying everything."

"That's what the man is supposed to do. You would let a little old widow like myself carry heavy bags? Have you no heart?"

Roxas nearly choked on his drink when she said that. He coughed a few times before he cleared his throat. "I get it, I get it." Roxas waved as he wiped his mouth. "But I don't think I can afford to get any more. I am going over budget already."

Nozomi's eyes softened a bit as she sat down across from the duo. "I guess that's true. Aren't you the little gentlemen, buying Akitsu all these things."

"She needed them sooner than later." Roxas responded. "Thanks for coming with us though. I don't have much experience shopping for women."

"Yeah, I could see that when we visited the panty department." Nozomi said with a grin, causing Roxas to blush a bit. He didn't particularly enjoy that part of the shopping spree.

"You really get a kick out of teasing me, don't you?" Roxas grumbled.

"Oh, you have no idea sweetheart." Nozomi said as she stood up again.

"You're not going to get anything?" Roxas asked as he gestured to a menu.

"I had a large breakfast. And there are some things I need as well. I will meet back up with you two shortly." She responded as she started to walk down the street.

Roxas laughed lightly as he leaned back in his chair. He glanced over at Akitsu, who was now enjoying a small ice-cream Sunday. "You want anything else?" Roxas asked.

Akitsu paused in mid-bite as she looked over at him. "Ah…No thanks." She said.

"You sure?"

Akitsu nodded as she took another bite of ice cream.

Roxas went back to enjoying his soda. "I'm glade Nozomi came with us. She was a big help wasn't she?"

"She was. She is a very nice lady." Akitsu responded.

"Yeah, she was one of my first friends. She's always been there for me and I don't know where I would have been without her."

Akitsu paused as she lowered her spoon of ice cream. "She…was?"

Roxas nodded as he thought back on his first meeting with Nozomi. "Yeah, at first, she thought I was a little delinquent that died his hair blond. The first thing she told me was that she didn't need anymore trouble in her apartment complex." He said as he gave a small chuckle. "But even though first impressions didn't go that well, she still gave me a chance when no one else would. She's liked the grandmother I never had." He said as he finished off his drink.

Akitsu listened intently, making sure she didn't miss anything he said. "What…did you do before you met her?"

"I was living on the streets for a while, working for Shinto Locksmith. I would usually find a bridge or an abandoned building to stay for a few days at a time. Having an apartment is much better though."

Akitsu blinked a few times in confusion. "Ah…what about your family? Why did you live on the streets?"

"Never had any family." Roxas said casually as he stretched his arms a bit. "I would say that Nozomi is one of the closest things I ever had to family."

Akitsu stared at her Ashikabi. He said those things without even a hint of sadness in his voice, almost as if he didn't even get the concept of parents. They were just something he never hand. That wasn't right. From what she knew about the human world, parents raised kids and the parents looked after them until they were old enough to move on.

Roxas was 17. Technically, he should still be living with his parents and finishing high school. But he already had his own job and apartment.

Who was her Ashikabi?

 _BANG_

The sound of a gunshot echoed through the streets followed by the sound of people screaming. Roxas and Akitsu immediately looked in the direction where the sound came from.

That's when they saw it.

There was a young man with a gun in one hand and a purse in the other. He was standing over someone.

Roxas's heart stopped.

The person who was lying on the ground was wearing a Kimono.

Nozomi's Kimono.

It took a fraction of a second for Roxas to move, instantly at Nozomi's side before gently grasping her shoulders.

"Nozomi!" Roxas shouted as he gently turned her over. She was gasping in pain, blood was seeping from a bullet hole in her chest. Quickly, he put his hand over the wound in a feeble attempt to stop the bleeding. He clenched his teeth as he looked up at the man standing there with Nozomi's purse in his hand.

The young man looked down at Roxas and sneered before turning around and running away. Usually, Roxas would have gone after him, but he couldn't leave Nozomi like this.

But if there was one thing he did do, it was burn the image of that man's face in his mind. He wore a dark green hoodie and had very dark brown hair, but his most defining features was the look in his eye. It was a look that said he had absolutely no care for anyone but himself.

Roxas looked down, seeing a pool of blood seep between his fingers. There was no stopping the blood like this. He would have to use Curaga if she was going to have a chance. But would his spell even be enough for a wound like this? It was more than just a flesh wound.

Akitsu had rushed over as well, a look of terror on her usually stoic face. She grit her teeth as she looked up at the man who had done this, but he was far down the street by now. She was about to pursue him until Roxas caught her wrist.

"Leave him Akitsu. Take my phone and call an ambulance!" Roxas said through clenched teeth, tears perking the edges of his eyes. He fished the phone out of his pocket as tossed it to her.

Akitsu nodded as she dialed the number.

Roxas held his hands over the wound, still trying to stop the bleeding. He was about to call upon his Curaga spell, witnesses be damned, but even he knew that it wouldn't be enough to completely heal a wound like this. But maybe it would be enough to help her survive until more help arrived.

Suddenly, he stopped as he felt a soft hand on his cheek. He looked over to see a small smile on Nozomi's face as her hand gently caressed his cheek. For some reason, this situation was extremely familiar. But from where? He had never experienced anything like this before. He stared into her eyes and saw something unusual about that look. It wasn't fear, or even pain anymore…

It was contentment.

Then without warning, she closed her eyes as her hand fell lifelessly to the ground.

Roxas stared at her unmoving figure in complete shock. Just like that, the first friend he had made in this world…

Was gone.

Her existence was snuffed out because of a couple pieces of paper she may have had in her purse.

Roxas's eyes widened as he started shaking. "No, Nozomi…Wake up!" Roxas cried. "You can't die! Please!"

Akitsu dropped the phone, her eyes wide when she saw the lifeless body of Nozomi lying there on the cold ground, Roxas cradling her head in his lap. She may not have known Nozomi for as long as Roxas did, but it was still an emotional blow to see her gone. However, her sadness was nothing compared to the pure despair she felt through her Ashikabi. It was nearly unbearable.

"Nozomi please!" Roxas said as tears started to uncontrollable leak down his face. "Please don't leave."

But even though he said that, it was clear as day that she was gone.

And there was nothing he could do to bring her back.

* * *

"I'm back!" a young man said as he entered a run down apartment. "And I brought quite the haul today."

The person he addressed was a young woman sitting on a couch next to an oversized hammer. She had light brown hair almost shoulder length. Her cloths consisted of a dirty white dress that reached mid-thigh. She had multiple cuts and bruises decorating her skin as well, signifying major abuse.

As the man approached her, he dropped the purse on the coffee table before plopping himself down next to the woman, thumbing threw a few bills he found in the purse. The woman unconsciously scooted away from him as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"What? No hello kiss from my little possession?" the man said as tossed the bills on the table before leaning over to her and roughly grabbing her face, forcing her to look at him. "We should celebrate! All I had to do was kill and old bag to get this cash."

The woman pulled her face away from him as she looked away in disgust. "You killed someone again Junichi?"

Junichi's smile vanished as he slapped her across the face. "Yeah! You got a problem with that? I managed to get enough money to support us and your bitching at me again? Huh? Answer me Yashima!" he yelled as he grabbed her wrist.

Yashima didn't say a word as he slapped her again on the other cheek. Her lower lip trembled as she glanced at the purse Junichi had brought in. He killed an old lady for this money. "Did you have to kill her?"

"Its her own fault. She wouldn't hand over the bag." He said lazily, obviously not caring at all for his actions.

"So you shot her." Yashima said as she threw a disgusted glance at the man.

"What's with that look? You should be grateful I am even taking care of your ass." Junichi said as he threw her to the ground. "But I guess its only natural, I mean, a Sekirei is nothing but a possession for us Ashikabi's after all." he finished as a vile grin crossed his face.

Yashima lay there on the flood, tears slowly leaking out of her eyes when she saw her Ashikabi unbuckling his pants. "I should have let those twins deactivate me when I had the chance." Yashima whispered as she prepared herself for another night of hell.

* * *

 **Authors Note: This chapter was a bit darker. Nozomi passed away and it is devastating to Roxas. Next chapter will delve into what happens next.**

 **For those of you who will say "Curaga should have been able to heal her completely." Well, even in KH1, if you were low on health, then the Curaga wouldn't have given you full health. It would heal a large chunk of it, but not all. Also, Nozomi died before he had the chance to use it. Curaga may heal wounds, but it can't bring others back to life.**

 **Also, I made Akitsu have a little bit of personality and common sense in this story. She is still stoic and quiet, but not to the point where she is just a blank person who only takes orders.**

 **Hope you enjoyed even though it was a little bit sad and very dark. Not much else to say. Thanks again for reading and if you enjoyed, please leave a review. I really appreciate it.**

 **Until then!**


	3. Chapter 3: Free or Caged

**Authors Note: Hello everyone. Thanks again for your comments and support on the story so far. It's been really nice and it helps my motivation to get things out faster for you all.**

 **Blarg7865: Most of the questions you ask reveal massive spoilers for the story. So I won't answer them right now, but I assure you they will be answered through the story itself. There is a reason Roxas is able to wing Sekirei, but the answer won't come for a while because not even he knows the answer to that yet. As for the main Antagonist, I have a very good idea that I think you guys will find very interesting, though it may come as a shock. And no I have not played KH unchained X.**

 **Not much else to say here, just please enjoy the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

 **Warning: spelling and grammar will be present because I don't have a beta. I apologize for it, but this is something I do in my free time. I will try my best to find them all, but there is a large chance that I missed a few.**

* * *

Unbound

Chapter 3

It's natural for people to avoid going outside when it's raining. Whether they don't like the feeling of the cold wetness soaking through there clothing, or that they despise the gloomy atmosphere a rainy day can bring. That was not the case for Roxas and Akitsu as they attended the small memorial held for Nozomi. They were among a very short roster of who attended because Nozomi didn't have any family left. Even all of the people who lived in her apartment complex didn't come. It was sad really. She had given those scumbags a chance, but they never appreciated what Nozomi did for them in providing a place to say. Not only that, but also being lenient on the rent and when they paid it. No one in that damn complex even cared that she was gone.

Only him and Akitsu.

The rain gently soaked Roxas's golden hair as he looked down at Nozomi's tombstone. They had stayed through the entire Memorial and watched as a few workers carefully buried her. The workers didn't care who she was, just that it was their job to bury people who passed away. That was the case for most of the people who attended. The speaker was paid to say routine words about an individual he didn't even know. He was just putting Nozomi's life insurance money in his pocket.

It almost bothered Roxas quite a bit because he felt he and Akitsu were the only people there that really knew Nozomi and mourned her loss.

The continued to fall, but it was just a miserable drizzle at this point. Mostly everyone had gone home now, leaving the two alone in the cemetery.

"I'm…sorry Nozomi." Roxas whispered, his hair overshadowing his eyes. "I…I couldn't protect you."

Akitsu looked over at her Ashikabi, her eyebrows scrunched a little. She could feel Roxas's pain through the bound…and it tortured her to know he was feeling this way. She hated seeing him like this.

Carefully, she reached over and grasped his hand. It was really the only thing she could do to offer some form of comfort to him.

Roxas flinched a little at the sudden touch, but gently weaved his fingers with hers, grateful for her presents there.

"You know, it's times like this when I wonder if it's truly worth it to have a heart." Roxas said, getting Akitsu's attention. "I never realized that it would hurt this much to see someone you care about die. I didn't understand, not even when Nozomi tried to explain it to me."

Akitsu silently listened to Roxas as he spoke. She was a bit confused as to what he was talking about, but decided to just listen. Maybe something he said would explain a few things about himself.

* * *

 _Flashback 8 months:_

Roxas walked up to Nozomi's house with an envelope in his hand. Today was the day that the tenants of Nozomi Inn were supposed to pay rent. Luckily, because Roxas had got accustom to budgeting and being frugal with his money, he had enough to afford rent. He was cutting it close though because he still had a bit to learn about safely handling money.

He stood on the front steps to Nozomi's house and knocked gently on the door. He waited for a few minuets, but no one answered.

"Huh." Roxas hummed as he scratched the back of his head. "That's weird. She is usually in today to collect rent." Roxas knocked on the door again. However, just as before, there was no answer. Arching his eyebrow, he gently grabbed the handle and pulled on the door. To his surprise, he found it unlocked. She had to be here because she would never leave her door unlocked, especially with some of the more questionable tenants she housed.

Gently, he pulled open the door and walked inside like he would usually do when his neighbors would get to loud. Nozomi had offered her house as a sanctuary after all, even going as far as to give him a key to the place.

He walked through the quiet hallway towards the living room. He was about to enter before a certain sound halted him in his tracks.

A quiet sob.

Roxas froze in place as he gently listened through the door. There was no doubt in his mind that the person crying was Nozomi. But…why was she crying? He had known this woman for the better part of a year. She would get upset when her tenants drove crazy…

But…

He had never seen her cry before. Never.

Gently opening the door a sliver, he peaked into the living room. His eyes widened when he saw Nozomi sitting on the couch with a picture frame in her hand. Tears were gently cascading down her cheeks as she stared at the photograph.

Roxas had no idea what to do. It hurt a bit to see his friend like that. She looked so…broken. Why?

Biting the inside of his cheek, he wondered if he should come back later. People usually didn't like being seen in a time of weakness like this. Quietly, Roxas closed the door again and was about to leave her be, but something stopped him. Again, he tried walking down the hallway, but his feet refused to move.

 _Go comfort her_

Roxas blinked a few times as that thought penetrated his mind. It made him a bit nervous because he didn't know how to handle a situation like this. It was completely new for the Nobody.

But then again, he was trying to listen when his young heart would tell him something. Rubbing his eyes, he turned toward the door again, making his decision.

Gently, he grasped the handle and slowly pulled the door open, causing the older woman to tare her gaze away from the photo and look up at him. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, tearstains dotted her cheeks as evidence. Immediately, her eyes widened a bit as she quickly placed the picture frame on the table and frantically wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her kimono.

"Oh no, I look like a mess." She said as she sniffed a few times and forced a smile on her face. "What are you doing here Roxas? Are the neighbors too loud again?"

Roxas stared at the woman, completely confused as to why she was hiding how she really felt. He walked up to her and held out the envelope. "Rent is due today."

"Is it really? Already? Well, aren't you a responsible young man. Whoever gets you will be a lucky girl," she said as she took the envelope from his hand.

Roxas took the opportunity to glance down at the picture frame lying on the coffee table. It was a picture of a woman, a man, and a young boy. They were smiling into the camera, the man's arm around the woman and his hand shuffling the boy's hair. The boy was holding up a fish on a hook, beaming into the camera like Christmas had come early.

The woman had dark brown hair and a very pretty face. For some reason, she looked a lot like…

Like Nozomi.

He glanced over at the woman, who had placed the unopened envelope on the coffee table. She noticed Roxas looking at the picture before she bit the inside of her cheek. "Is there anything else you need Roxas?"

Roxas tore his gaze away from the picture as he shook his head. He looked over at his landlady again, concern in his eyes. "Are…are you ok?"

Nozomi's eyes widened a little in surprise before she forced a smile on her face again. "Whatever do you mean? Of course I'm ok. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because…you were crying."

Nozomi blinked a few times, surprised that he had called her out so bluntly. But if she were being honest with herself, that was just like him. He had nearly no tact whatsoever. Giving a sigh, she looked down at the picture on the coffee table. "Sorry about that. I…am usually more composed than this, but it's especially hard for me around this time of year."

"Is everything ok?" Roxas asked, taking the opportunity to sit down on the couch next to her.

Seeing that it didn't look like Roxas was going to take no for an answer, Nozomi gave another sigh as she picked the picture up off of the coffee table. "The people in this photo, they are really important to me…Or should I say, were important to me." She said as she her grip on the frame tightened a bit more. She could feel the tears start to peak the corner of her eyes again.

"Who are they?" Roxas asked.

Nozomi's hand trembled a little as she bit her lower lip. "This is my husband and son."

Roxas looked at the photo again. He could clearly see the resemblance between the woman in the photo and Nozomi. The boy in the photo had her eyes but his hair was the same shade of color as the father. This was her family.

Nozomi swallowed as she gently placed the photo back on the coffee table. "Today is the anniversary of there death. It's just…difficult for me, that's all." She said softly as she wiped her eyes again with the sleeve of her Kimono. "Oh, look at me. I'm falling apart." She laughed lightly.

Roxas looked away from the photo as he turned his attention to Nozomi. It's true that he had never seen Nozomi's husband before, but he didn't know it was because he had passed away. He could see the pain in Nozomi's eyes when she talked about there passing. He could somewhat relate to that because he watched axel disappear right beside him when they both vanished. He remembered Axel doing something he had never done right before they both disappeared.

He shed a tear.

But this seemed to go much deeper than that.

Not sure if it was a good idea or not, Roxas gently reached over and placed his hand over hers. He had no idea what he was doing, but his heart was telling him to comfort her in some way, and this was the only way he knew how.

Nozomi's eyes widened a little when she felt Roxas's hand over hers. She had known this boy for a while now, realizing that emotions were almost alien to him. But to even make an attempt to try and comfort her, she was touched.

She gave him a gentle smile as she lightly grasped his hand in hers. "You have come quite far from when I first met you, trying to comfort an old widow like myself. You wouldn't be trying to woo me now, would you?" She gave a small giggle in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

Usually, Roxas would have scoffed at her for teasing him, but this situation was different. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "What happened?"

Nozomi's smile vanished as she looked away. "I…it's difficult to talk about. Why do you want to know anyway?"

"Well…Honestly, I don't." Roxas said, causing Nozomi to frown slightly. His serious lack of tact was almost astounding and would come off as a bit rude sometimes.

"But it just feels like you need someone to talk too. I-I may not be the best person…I know I'm not the best person, but you have done so much for me. The least I could do is be there for you."

Nozomi bit her lower lip. All these years she had dealt with the pain of loosing her husband and son alone. She had buried the pain and sadness deep within herself, never really having time to release that pain. But now, one of her youngest tenants was sitting next to her, offering something that she hadn't had in a long time.

And ear that would listen.

Gently, tears started falling from her eyes as she looked at him, grasping his hand a bit tighter.

"We were simply driving home from a family night. We ate at a humble restaurant and went to see a movie. When driving back, my husband took the wheel. We just enjoyed each other's company, laughing about the movie we saw, giving our own opinions on how it was. We didn't do anything wrong." She started as her voice began to crack a bit.

"We stopped at a red light, like we were supposed to. It turned green and we started to move. The next thing I saw was a pair of car headlights right next to my husband's head." Nozomi continued, tears freely cascading down her cheeks. Her voice was starting to be obstructed by quiet sobs.

Roxas could almost feel the hurt and pain coming from her voice. He had never seen anyone this…distraught before. She looked so defeated, so broken, so incredibly sad that it was beginning to make him feel sad as well. He didn't like seeing Nozomi like this.

"The next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital three days later and…" She paused as she swallowed the lump in her throat. "My husband and son were gone." Just as she finished, the floodgates opened. She released Roxas's hand and brought both of her hands to her face, her tears and sobs intensifying. "Just like that, because someone decided they wanted to drink and drive, I lost everything that day." Her muffled voice said through her hands. "Why did it have to happen? What did we do to deserve that?"

Roxas felt his heart grow heavy. He had no idea Nozomi had gone through something like that. But…how was he supposed to help her? What could he possible say in this kind of situation? This was something he really couldn't relate to on her level. Sure, he experienced his best friend disappear, but he really never experienced a tragedy as deep as this…

Had he?

In the end, he decided not to say anything. He just reached over and gently placed a comforting hand on Nozomi's back. It was the only thing he could think of to do.

It was a while later that Nozomi's sobs became softer and softer. Roxas sat by her the entire time just offering any kind of comfort he could, which wasn't much in his opinion. Eventually, Nozomi took a few deep breaths as she tried to whip her eyes again.

"Oh look at me, mascara running down my face." She said with a watery smile. "I look like a mess. And breaking down in front of one of my tenants, what's wrong with me?" she said as she chuckled quietly. She stood from the sofa, turning away from Roxas. "Be a dear and stay there for a few minuets. I need to fix myself up before anymore tenants come by." She said as she left the room, leaving Roxas sitting on the sofa along.

Roxas's mind was pondering at the moment. He had asked Nozomi a lot of questions in the past about love and emotions, but witnessing firsthand what they could do to a person…it was almost frightening. Was it really worth having a heart if it caused this much pain? Was it really worth loving someone that much, that it would break you like this when they were gone?

As he continued to ponder, he didn't even notice Nozomi enter the room again, a new layer of makeup on her face covering any evidence of what just happened. She looked at the boy before walking over to him.

Roxas noticed her approaching and looked over. To his surprise, she looked exactly how she usually did. He had to admit, he was impressed because there was no evidence that she had just cried next to him for the better part of 20 minuets.

Reaching down, she picked up the picture of her family and walked back to the small shrine in the corner of the room before placing it down. Gently, she closed the doors to the shrine, still keeping her back to Roxas.

"Roxas?"

"Hmm?"

"You have already done a lot for me today, but…will you listen to one more selfish request?"

"Um…Sure."

"Since I'm pretty sure no more tenants will come by today, will you accompany me for a bit?" She asked as she turned to face him.

* * *

It was a quick drive in the car before Nozomi and Roxas arrived at the local cemetery. Nozomi led Roxas through the grounds until she stopped at a particular spot. Walking up next to her, he saw that she was standing in front of a few gravestones. Glancing down at them, he read the engraved names.

Hachiro: A loving husband and Father

Hayato: A loving Son

Roxas watched as Nozomi placed a fresh bouquet of flowers directly on the gravesites before clasping her hands together for a short prayer. He raised an eyebrow in confusion, not really sure what she was doing, but decided to just stay quiet. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes again and stared down at the graveside, a longing look in her eyes.

Roxas looked up at her. He could tell that she was still in pain, but he had to ask her…He needed to know.

"Nozomi…"

Nozomi looked over into Roxas's eyes.

"I remember you telling me a little about love, but…if it causes this much pain, is it really worth it?"

Nozomi laughed lightly as she looked down at the grave. "Yes. Even though it's painful when they go, when I was with them, it was the happiest time of my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything. The memories I have of us together, I will cherish for the rest of my life." She said as she looked over at him again. "Love, it can bring you the greatest happiness this life has to offer…but also the greatest sadness. But you know what? That's all part of being human. These are things you need to experience in order to grow as a person."

Roxas looked down at the gravesite again, his mind a bit boggled by her words. Nozomi always seemed to know what he needed to hear. Glancing over next to the husband's grave, he noticed one last gravestone, only this one was blank.

"Who is this for?" Roxas asked as he pointed to the blank gravestone.

Nozomi laughed a little as she rested a hand on Roxas's shoulder. "That's for me when the time comes."

Roxas paused for a moment as his eyes widened. He looked up at her, almost in panic. His look caused Nozomi to giggle a little into the sleeve of her kimono. "Not to worry Roxas. This old bag of bones still has some life left in her. You don't need to worry about me."

"…Thanks." Roxas said, feeling a little relieved.

"No Roxas…" Nozomi said as she turned to him, wrapping her arms around him in a gentle hug. "Thank you."

 _Flashback end_

* * *

"I guess I understand a bit more where she was coming from." Roxas said as he stared down at the grave. "It's painful to see her go, but I wouldn't give up the time I had with her for anything." He would be sad that Nozomi was gone, but he will cherish the memories and lessons she gave him. Looking into the sky, Roxas closed his eyes, trying to force back any tears that threatened to leak from his eyes. "I will miss her though."

Akitsu looked down at the grave. She didn't know that about the old landlady. Nor did she know how much Nozomi did for Roxas. According to him, Nozomi had basically taught him about love and emotions.

But…

Why did Roxas even have to be taught about them? He was supposed to know about emotions from…living life in general. Why was he just discovering them now? Who was her Ashikabi?

"You wouldn't happen to be Roxas would you?" a voice asked behind Roxas and Akitsu.

Roxas blinked a few times, trying to compose himself before he looked over his shoulder. There was a man standing there in a black business suite and an umbrella over his head. Roxas recognized him as one of the few people that stayed during the whole service for Nozomi.

"Yeah, I'm Roxas." He responded, turning towards the man

The man shifted his umbrella so Roxas and Akitsu could see his face. He walked over to the duo and held out his hand. "My name is Saburo. I'm Nozomi's Lawyer and…business consultant you could say."

"Ok…Nice to meet you." Roxas responded, shaking the man's hand.

"Oh, please forgive me, I know you must feel a lot of stress right now with Nozomi passing and your new ownership of Nozomi Inn. But I just want to tell you that I will do everything in my power to help. Nozomi was not only my client, but a good friend as well. She asked me personally to give you a hand."

"…"

Roxas stared at the man in complete bewilderment. "Um…What?"

Saburo raised his eyebrows. "Uhh…She didn't tell you? She wrote in her will that she leaves everything to you upon her death. Her house, her Inn, everything."

Roxas blinked a few times, completely shocked. "She did? Why?"

Saburo gave a small sigh as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "Uh! Nozomi, you always did like making things so difficult. And you didn't even tell him?" Saburo said to himself as he looked down at Roxas. "Nozomi didn't have any family left to leave her belongings too after she passed away. Her parents are gone, her husband and son are gone as well, and she had no relatives left that she can leave her business too. So recently, she left in her will that you would inherit everything when she passed away."

"Um…" Roxas said, almost at a loss for words. "She didn't tell me a thing about that."

"Yes, I assume it was because she didn't expect to be passing so soon." Saburo said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "But she was old. She knew she didn't have much time left. But still, this makes things a little difficult. You are the rightful owner of Nozomi Inn. I know that this might come as a shock to you, trust me, I tried to talk her out of it because you're just a kid, but she wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Ok…" Roxas said, still trying to wrap his head around what this man was talking about. "How am I supposed to run an Inn? I don't know anything about it."

"I am aware of that and so was Nozomi." Saburo said as he reached into his coat pocket, pulling out an envelope. "Here, Nozomi gave this to me a while back just in case something happened to her. She mentioned that this was someone who might be willing to help." Saburo pointed to the name on the envelope.

"Asama Miya." Roxas read as he took the envelope from Saburo.

"She's is an old friend of Nozomi's, but quite honestly, the woman kinda scares me." Saburo said as he shivered a bit. "Nozomi said to give this to Miya once she passed, but I think you better do it so you can meet her."

Roxas read the address on the envelope. He knew that area. It was in the north part of Shinto. He had taken on many jobs there before.

"Izumo inn?" Roxas asked as he looked up at Saburo.

Saburo nodded. "It appears that Nozomi had helped the owners get started with there own Inn a while back."

"Huh…" Roxas replied as he placed the envelope into his pocket. "I will check it out in a few days, I guess."

Saburo nodded as he gave a small smile. "Alright. I will take care of all the paperwork, but as of now, Nozomi Inn is officially yours. If you need me, please call this number." He said as he held out a business card.

Roxas took it as he nodded his head. "Thanks."

"Think nothing of it, and kid…" Saburo said as he rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for what happened. Nozomi was a wonderful lady and she always raved about you. From this little meeting, I can see why. Good luck with the Inn." He said as he turned to walk away.

Roxas watched Saburo walk away before he looked down at the card in his hand. He still couldn't believe what happened. He was now the owner of Nozomi Inn.

"Roxas…" Akitsu said as she walked up behind him. She gently grasped his arm in a hug.

"Lets…Lets just go home. We have a lot to do tomorrow."

"Ah…" Akitsu paused as she hugged his arm a little closer. "Alright."

* * *

It didn't take long to get back the apartment complex. It had been a very quite ride on the local buss. Very few words were shared between Roxas and Akitsu. Akitsu could understand why though. Roxas had just lost someone he loved like a grandmother, and he now had to deal with the stress of owning an apartment complex. That was a lot to put on the shoulders of a 17 year old young man.

As Akitsu and Roxas approached the complex, Roxas grit his teeth at the loud music. Instead of attending the memories, his neighbors were throwing another useless party.

"Well…look who it is." A familiar voice said, causing Roxas to grind his teeth further. He had no patience for this right now.

"I'm really not in the mood for you right now Saiji." Roxas growled.

"Look who grew a pair of balls. I am honestly surprised that you are still that cocky now that the old bag is not around to protect you." Saiji said with a vile grin.

Roxas froze, absolute fury building up inside him. He turned to Saiji with a hate filled glare. "What did you say?"

Saiji's grin grew a bit as he saw the look on Roxas's face. A few of his other neighbors circled around to see what would go down.

"You heard what I said. That old bad was the only reason I hadn't pounded your face in yet. Glad the bitch is gone. All she ever did was nag nag nag about the rent. Honestly, who gives a shit about that when you live in these junky apartments anyway?"

Roxas clenched his fists as he felt his body start shaking. His anger increased when he noticed quite a few of the other tenants nodding their head in agreement. Turning his attention back to Saiji, he was about to storm up to him and plant another fist in his face, but a soft hand on his shoulder prevented him from doing so.

He viciously looked to see Akitsu standing there. Her face was still stoic, but he could feel her barely restrained fury through the bond.

Still…

"He's not worth it." Akitsu told him, echoing what he said to her a few days ago.

Roxas clenched his fists, completely pissed off.

But…

He knew she was right. What would he prove by beating up a worthless piece of trash like Saiji? He took a few deep breaths as he tried to calm down.

Saiji narrowed his eyes a bit when he heard Akitsu talk. "What did you say bitch?"

Roxas was grinding his teeth again. He wanted nothing more that to beat this man to a bloody pulp with his keyblade, but a different thought stopped him. Slowly, his anger started to die down before a calm look crossed his face.

"You heard what she said Saiji. Your not worth it, you never were. In fact, I want you and everyone else here to pack their bags and leave Nozomi Inn." He said, a hint of anger still in his voice.

Saiji stared at Roxas for a while before he burst out laughing. He was followed by the rest of the tenants who had gathered around to watch the scene.

"You can't be serious. You think I'm scared of you? What are you to do if I say no?" Saiji taunted.

"Well, since you are in a violation of your leasing contract, I can evict you anytime I want. And since you are about…" Roxas paused as he tired to remember Nozomi's complaint about Saiji's extremely late rent. "Five payments past due, I think its time you leave."

Saiji narrowed his eyes at Roxas, all the humor in his voice was gone, instead it was replaced with a bit of worry. "What are you talking about, the only one that has the power to do that is the landlord."

Roxas scoffed as he glared at Saiji. "Well guess what, you're looking at the new owner."

Saiji's eyes widened in horror at Roxas's claim. He wasn't the only one, the rest of the tenants were also staring at him, there mouths slack jawed. Most of them were regretting spray-painting his door right about now.

"Y-Your lying! Nozomi wouldn't leave her complex to a runt like you." Saiji said, panic eminent in his voice.

"She did. You don't have to believe me, I don't care either way, but are you going to chance it?" Roxas asked as he turned his back to Saiji. "You have two days to get out of my Inn. That goes for the rest of you who have been late with your rent payment."

"You can't do this!"

"Watch me." Roxas shot back. "I read the leasing terms. If you're not out in two days, I will call the police for trespassing." Roxas finished as he walked away from the stunned crowd. There was continual silence as Roxas and Akitsu reached their apartment. They simply waked through the door, leaving a shocked crowd behind them.

As much as Roxas wanted too physically hurt Saiji and his friends, he thought that this actually had a much bigger impact. Besides, they were just running the place into the ground. The Inn would actually do much better without them.

* * *

It was a little later in the afternoon that Roxas was sitting on the couch, staring up at the celling. A lot was going through his mind at the moment about everything that happened the past few days.

Akitsu was sitting next to him, a concerned expression on her face. "Roxas…Shouldn't you eat something?"

"Not hungry." Roxas responded.

"Ah…you haven't eaten since Nozomi died."

"Akitsu…" Roxas said as he looked over at her. "You think I did something bad, in kicking those people out of their apartment?"

Akitsu stared blankly at Roxas, not really sure how to answer that question.

"I never really understood why Nozomi let them stay there for so long. Do you think…" Roxas felt his voice start to crack. "Do you think she would be disappointed in me?"

Again, Akitsu didn't know how to answer that question, but…She could tell that Roxas was not asking them expecting to get an answer.

No, he was still morning her death.

Roxas closed his eyes as he leaned forward, resting his face on his hands. "It still hurts, Akitsu."

Again, Akitsu felt her Ashikabi's pain, his loneliness. Nozomi had been there for the past year and a half, but she was suddenly gone. Now Roxas felt like he was alone in the world again.

Akitsu bit her lower lip as she felt the fears of her Ashikabi. However, her eyes showed a bit of determination as well. She wanted to let Roxas know something, but not with words. Gently, she reached over and wrapped her arms around his head, pulling him into her soft chest as she gently threads her finger through his spikey blond hair.

Roxas's eyes widened a bit as he felt the emotions of his Sekirei through the bond. She didn't need to say anything about how she felt. Her actions alone was evidence enough of what she was saying.

That he was not alone.

Finally, he let the tears freely flow, wrapping his arms around her waist. She just sat there; gently comforting him while trying to lift a bit of the burden he had on his shoulders.

It was that moment Roxas finally understood why Nozomi thanked him that day for being there for her. Because it was the same way he was grateful that Akitsu was there when he needed someone.

* * *

It took a couple days for Roxas to finally find peace with Nozomi's death. Sure it still hurt and he did miss her a lot, but he found the strength to move on. He had put in his notice at Shinto locksmith because there was no way he was going to be able to run an Inn and also work long hours at the locksmith. Needless to say, they were extremely sad he was going, but they understood.

Also, the apartments were now pretty empty considering that most of the people had moved out. Saiji was especially angry, storming up to Roxas's apartment a few times and threatening him. But Roxas didn't budge. Saiji had taken advantage of Nozomi's kindness, but Roxas wasn't so nice. In the end, Roxas was able to prove the he was the rightful owner of Nozomi Inn with the help of Saburo.

Speaking of the lawyer, he was a massive help in completing all the paperwork needed. Roxas had lost count of how many things he had to sign in order for the ownership to be passed to him.

If he were being honest with himself, this seemed like too much responsibility, especially since he wanted to attend college eventually. But he still took it on because Nozomi had entrusted it to him. He was not going to quit before he gave it his all.

Through this whole thing, if there was one aspect of his life that Roxas was most grateful for, it was Akitsu. That woman was a God sent for the Nobody. No matter where he was, unless it was running a job for the locksmith, she was there right beside him. Roxas was amazed at how patient she was with him over the past few days as he got over Nozomi's death, signed all the paperwork, and dealt with the troublesome complaints of the evicted tenants.

For the life of him, he could not understand her dedication. It was honestly astounding, but he was extremely grateful for it.

Turning in his notice at the locksmith also made him extremely busy because they could not officially let him go until they found another worker. They made sure to run him dry the next few days.

Currently, it was another late night customer that had locked themselves out of their apartment. Honestly, seeing how many time people locked themselves out of their cars and apartments, he was grateful for the power of the keyblade that allowed him to unlock virtually anything. Otherwise, he would be reliant on Shinto locksmith as well.

After he completed the job, he began to walk home, ready to call it a night. It was very quiet outside as Roxas walked through the street. He had taken the long way in order to pick of some ice cream for him and Akitsu. That woman had been a lifeline for Roxas the past couple of days. He didn't know what he would do without her. She defiantly deserved some ice cream for being so patient with him. Aw, who was he kidding, she deserved so much more that what he had to offer. If it were anyone else, they would have probably got fed up.

Upon reaching the convenience store, Roxas entered the building and grabbed a few bars of ice cream. He simply paid and left, exiting the building with the ice cream in hand.

 _BOOM!_

A sudden explosion caught Roxas's attention. He looked up to see a flash of lighting strike a nearby building. Normally, he would have ignored this and moved on, but there was one thing that was very particular about this phenomenon.

The night was crystal clear out. Not a single cloud could be seen.

Now that was really strange. How would lightning strike if there were no clouds in the sky?

Narrowing his eyes, he whipped out his jacket and threw it over his shoulders. He flipped on his hood and made his way to the nearest alleyway. Opening a corridor of darkness, he stepped threw only to find himself on the rooftop of the building he was next to. Now that he had a more Arial view, he looked towards the place where the lighting struck.

 _BOOM!_

Another flash of lightning struck a building in the distance. It was a bit far to see, so moving quickly, he rushed forward and started to hop from roof to roof in the direction of the lightning.

 _BOOM!_

Another blast of lightning hit the building he was about to jump to, so he paused as he looked around the area, trying to see a reason why lighting would strike on a perfectly clear night.

That's when he saw it.

There were two women dressed it…very revealing clothing, there hands outstretched at another girl who was wearing a shrine maiden outfit. The two women looked nearly identical to each other, meaning they must have been twins.

The Shrine girl quickly darted to the side as another bolt of lightning hit the ground right where she was standing.

Roxas's eyes widened as he looked at the two women with their hands stretched out. He then looked back at the shrine girl, who had just dodged another bolt of lightning. He had not seen this level of lightning manipulation since Larxene.

"I can't fight you yet. I have to find my Ashikabi!" The girl yelled, causing Roxas's eyes to widen. This girl was another Sekirei like Akitsu and Karasuba.

"We don't care, its better you deactivate right now than be forcefully winged by someone." One of the twins said as she waved her hand. Another bolt of lightning fell from the sky, nearly striking the shrine girl.

"I…I wont be deactivated until I find my Ashikabi! Please let me find him!" the Shrine girl shouted back.

"We are sorry, but we can't take that chance…not again." The other twin said a bit somberly as she drew back her hand as thrust it forward. Lightning erupted from her palm, shooting straight at the shrine girl. This time she didn't miss. The lighting impacted the girl, causing her to scream out in agony. She fell to the ground, gasping in pain.

One of the twins looked to the other as they both nodded. They raised their hands towards the heavens. Immediately, the sky lit up and a massive bolt of lightning fell.

Without even thinking, Roxas dropped the ice cream bars as he leaped off the roof towards the shrine girl.

The twins looked at the spot where the bolt of lightning was about to strike the. They had a small amount of pity in there eyes, but it was overshadowed by determination.

"Forgive us." One twin whispered and lightning engulfed the shrine girl.

"Reflect!"

Just at the lightning was about to strike; a dome of light surrounded the area. The lightning collided with the dome before it shattered into fragments. The fragments then turned to miniature explosions, destroying a large part of the roof.

Both twins widened their eyes as they saw someone standing in front of the shrine girl, his hand extended. He was wearing a black coat with a hood that covered his face.

"Homura!" One twin yelled, her eyes narrowing.

The other twin silently looked down, her eyes narrowing as well. "No…that's not Homura."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Homura uses fire. We are dealing with a new Sekirei."

The shrine girl looked up at the stranger who had just saved her life. She struggled to stand on her feet, but her nerves were still a bit fried from the electricity. Eventually, she gained enough strength to stand.

"That was amazing! What was that?" She suddenly gushed, her eyes showing a massive amount of excitement. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet, like a child that had gotten a new birthday present.

Roxas looked over his shoulder at the…unusually happy Sekirei he just helped. It wasn't just seconds ago that she was attacked, but she seemed to have forgot the situation she was in.

"Go" he said simply.

"Eh?" The shrine girl said, cocking her head slightly.

"Go. I will hold them off." Roxas said again. "You want to find your Ashikabi don't you?"

"Ah! You're right. I have to find my Ashikabi." She said as she lightly knocked herself on the head with her fist, sticking out her tonged. She then turned around and was about to leap off the roof, but stopped. She turned to him and bowed her head. "Oh, I didn't get the chance to thank you." She said as she beamed at him.

Roxas noticed out of the corner of his eye that one of the twins extended her palm at them. He jumped backwards and tackled the shrine girl just lightning stuck the place where they stood. They rolled on the roof a couple of times before Roxas growled and jumped to his feet.

"I said go!" Roxas said harshly.

The shrine girl's eye turned big and watery. It was the most pathetic look he had seen in a long time.

"I'm Sworry." She cried as she turned and jumped off the roof, landing gracefully on the next before taking off into the distance.

"Oh no you don't!" One of the twins yelled as she made an attempt to jump after her. She leaped into the air and was about to land on other building, but a flash of black caught the corner of her eyes, forcing her to duck. A black weapon sailed over her head. Rolling on the ground, she distanced herself from the person who attacked her. Her twin soon landed on the roof next to her.

"Get out of our way!" one of the twins growled, grinding her teeth together. "Unless you want to be our next target."

Roxas clenched the oblivion in his hand tightly as he narrowed his eyes at them. "Why did you attack her?"

The twins blinked a few times as they looked at each other. "To deactivate her of course. Its better that she leave this game before it starts."

"She just wants to find her Ashikabi. Why are you getting in the way? Isn't it a Sekirei's biggest desire to be bounded with those they react to?"

One of the twins scoffed as she folded her arms under chest. "If course it is, you should know that, but you should also know the horror of being bound to someone you don't react to."

Roxas paused, his eyes widening a bit. "W-What are you talking about?"

"You don't know? What, were you released a couple of days ago or something? A Sekirei can be winged two ways. By those who they react to, or forcefully winged by someone they don't react to. In essence, winging a Sekirei can be the key to freeing them, or it can be the key to bind them."

Roxas stared at the twins in shock. He didn't know that particular detail about winging a Sekirei. He thought that they would just find the one that they reacted to, like how Akitsu did to him. So if Akitsu didn't stop him that day, would it have been possible that someone else could forcefully wing her? He knew how deep there bound went, but what if that bond was formed with someone you didn't even like? Did that mean you were stuck with them?

"This is why we are eliminating new Sekirei before they are forcefully winged. Can you imagine one of your sisters being forever bound to someone who abuses her? Who she hates?" the other twin said. "We made that mistake before. We let one of our sisters go, and she was forcefully bound to an abusive Ashikabi. We wont make that mistake again." She said, electricity crackly around her clenched fist.

"And since you seem to be new, I think it's time we eliminate you as well. Trust us, this is more of a mercy than anything." The other twin said as she thrust her fist forward. Electricity erupted from her palm, shooting straight at Roxas.

Roxas was forced to roll out of the way before thrusting his keyblade forward. "Blizzard!"

Ice shards erupted from the keyblade, flying at the twins, who simply jumped to the side, allowing the ice to pass by. The ice impacted the ground, causing massive ice crystals to burst forth, forcing the twins to jump away onto a different roof, staring down at the fixture in awe.

"Hikari, did you see that? He just used ice!"

"I know Hibiki." Hikari growled as she narrowed her eyes at the lone figure on the roof. He was crouched down in a stance, his strange weapon in his hand like he was ready for a fight.

Roxas's mind was still on there words. He didn't know that a Sekirei could be bound to someone they didn't react to. If that was the case, then was it worth the risk to let them try and find their Ashikabi? Were they right?

…No.

Roxas thought back to Akitsu and how the bond affected them both. Based on the few words she spared about it, the bond meant everything to a Sekirei. He looked up at the twins, his eyes narrowed.

"You two are winged, right?" He asked.

Hikari looked down at the boy and growled. "Yes, what of it?"

"You were winged by the one you reacted to?"

They nodded. "What are you getting at?"

"Then you know how much a Sekirei cherishes that bond. You know how much they want it. They were willing to run around this city looking for the person they react to because it's there greatest desire. What right do you have to deny them that chance?" He growled.

Hibiki looked away, a little shame in her eyes, but Hikari stood firm. "You're right, we do cherish the bond. It runs deep if it is with the person you react to. But if you're forcefully winged, the bond almost means nothing. It is used as a cage rather than giving you your wings."

Roxas shook his head as he glared up at them. "And the alternative is better? Be deactivated without even having a chance? Always wondering what it would have been like to find your Ashikabi?"

"Yes, it is better." Hikari responded, extending her palm at him again. "Enough of this. Be a good little Sekirei and let us deactivate you."

Roxas clenched the keyblade in his hand as he saw electricity crackling around Hikari's hand. Lightning erupted from her palm, but Roxas used light dash to shoot out of the way. Hibiki wasted no time in blasting lightning at him as well.

Roxas weaved around the roof he was standing on as the twins tried desperately to land a hit.

"Who the hell is this Sekirei? I haven't seen his abilities before." Hikari growled, continuing to blast lighting at Roxas.

"I don't know. He must have been released recently." Hibiki responded.

Roxas dodged another flash of lightning before he shot straight at the roof where Hibiki and Hikari were.

"Screw this." Hikari said as she turned to her twin. They nodded as they both raised their hands to the sky. Immediately, the sky opened up and several bolts of lightning fell from the sky. They impacted the building roof where Roxas was standing, destroying a major part of it.

When the light dimmed down, there was no sign of Roxas on the roof, just large indents and craters from the attack.

"I think that was a bit much Hikari." Hibiki said softly.

"He had it coming." Hikari responded.

Hibiki was about to respond, but a large amount of pain erupted from her back. A black spinning weapon collided with her, causing her to be roughly thrown from the rooftop before crashing on the one below.

Hikari could only look to see the weapon almost fall to the ground before Roxas rushed over and snatched it out of the air. She barely had time to raise her arms in defense before the black weapon smashed into her forearms. She was also thrown from the building before crash landing next to her sister.

"What the Hell! I thought we got him!" Hikari growled as she struggled to push herself to her feet. Her forearms were swelling, making it difficult to use her arms.

"I thought so too. How did he escape?"

Roxas crouched down in his stance again, ready for the fight to continue. The twins looked up at him, there eyes narrowed as well. Roxas leaped down onto the rooftop they were on, his keyblade clenched in his had.

Suddenly, a stream of fire fell from the sky, landing right in between Roxas and the twins. Roxas backed up a bit as he felt the warm lick of flames against his face. Just as the fire died down, Roxas saw another figure dressed in black standing in the middle. The lower half of his face was covered, but he had a head of silver-grey hair, almost exactly the same shade as Karasuba's but much shorter.

Immediately, the twins froze in fear as they stared at the newcomer. "Hikari, I don't want to be burned again."

Hikari growled as she pointed at the person. "Homura, quit getting in our way!" she shouted.

"Hikari and Hibiki, how many times are you going to attack the new Sekirei? It's rather pathetic that you're trying to deactivate them so you have less competition in the game."

"It's more than that and you know it Homura." Hikari retorted.

"Well, I can see why as well. If your weak enough to get your ass handed to you by another un-winged Sekirei, I can see why you want to thin out the competition."

"Screw you Homura."

I'm also an un-winged Sekirei, so why don't you try you hand with me?" Homura said, a flame igniting in his palm.

Roxas, who was standing behind Homura, stared at the flame in astonishment. Again, only Axel achieved this level of fire manipulation in organization 13. Sekirei were quite incredible. He was impressed that they could wield their elements to such a degree. Even with his spells, he could not do much with fire besides fire projectiles or make very temporary shields.

"Hikari, lets get out of here." Hibiki said as she tugged her sister's arm.

Hikari growled as she turned away from the two. "We wont go easy on you next time Homura, or you…whoever you are." She growled as she and Hibiki took off, jumping from rooftop to rooftop until they were out of sight.

Giving a sigh, Homura extinguished the flame in his hand as he turned to the other figure dressed in all black, the strange weapon still in his hand.

"Hmm, I haven't seen that weapon before. What number are you? What's your name?" Homura asked.

Roxas didn't say a world as he stared at the new Sekirei. He didn't know if he was going to attack or not, but Roxas was not going to take a chance, especially since he saw what this Sekirei could do.

Homura noticed his ridged posture and raised his hands peacefully. "I'm not here to hurt you. Rather I'm called to protect the un-winged Sekirei.

"You're doing fine job at it apparently." Roxas said sarcastically.

"Ouch." Homura said with amusement. "Well, this is a large city. I cant be everywhere at once. I came just in time to see you protect Number 88. I have to say, I am impressed. Though I am not familiar with your powers. What number are you?"

Roxas didn't say anything again as he stood from his crouched position, the keyblade hanging lightly in his hands. It was clear that he was still thinking about Hikari and Hibiki's words.

"What those twins said, is it true? Is finding your Ashikabi really worth the risk of being winged to someone your not reacting too?"

Homura blinked a few times, the fact that his question got ignored not escaping him. But he decided to humor the person standing in front of him.

"I wouldn't know because I don't think I will ever find an Ashikabi." He said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He removed one from the pack and was about to pull down his mask, but paused. He almost forgot that someone was watching.

Slowly, he turned his back on Roxas as he pulled down his mast and placed the cigarette in his mouth. He then lit the tip with a small flame from his finger. Taking a deep inhale, he breathed out a breath of smoke.

"But I can tell you this, even though I might not find an Ashikabi, it doesn't mean I lack the natural desire to have one. Every Sekirei dreams of finding the one they react to and will risk everything to find them, even if it means being forcefully winged." He said as he inhaled another drag of smoke. "You should realize this since you're a Sekirei as well."

"No…I'm not a Sekirei."

Homura's eyes widened a bit when he heard that statement. He dropped the cigarette and quickly turned around, even forgetting to pull up his mask. However, when he turned around, the mysterious person was gone, leaving him alone on the rooftop. Staring at the empty space where the person used to be, Homura narrowed his eyes a little.

"Not a Sekirei? That's impossible."

* * *

Roxas appeared in an alleyway next to his apartment before he flipped off his hood. He had learned quite a bit from his little adventure. But it was mostly disturbing news, news that it was possible to wing a Sekirei if they didn't react to you. That was basically enslavement if nothing else. But if that were true, then what would happen to them? Were they really forced to be bound to that person forever?

Roxas walked up the stairs to his apartment, his mind deep in thought. He gently reached his door before he pushed it open. Upon walking in, he almost didn't notice Akitsu standing right in front of him until he nearly bumped into her. Looking up, he noticed there was a bit of concern in her eyes.

"Ah…welcome home." She said.

"Hey." Roxas responded as he unzipped his coat and threw it over a nearby chair before walking over to the couch. He flopped down on it before leaning his head back and resting his eyes.

"Are…you ok?" She asked, sitting down next to him.

"Yeah." Roxas responded tiringly before he peaked over at her. She had a disbelieving look I her eyes. "Oh yeah, the bond." Roxas mumbled as he sat up straight. Because of that bond, he could never really keep what he truly felt from hi Sekirei. "I've just had a few thoughts. Akitsu, did you know it's possible to forcefully wing a Sekirei?"

Akitsu blinked a few times as she nodded her head. "Ah…I did know that because that's basically what happened to me."

Roxas blinked a few times as he turned toward her. "What do you mean? I thought you said you were broken."

"I was." Akitsu said as she gently reached over and grasped his arm in a soft hug. "When I was adjusted, my adjuster was…incompetent. He caused me to be winged preterm to myself, which made it so I could never use my Norito."

"Norito?" Roxas asked.

"Ah…Yes. The Norito is the pinnacle of our power as Sekirei. It can only be activated if we gain out wings. He made it so I could never be winged." She said as she grasped his arm a little tighter. "Like those Sekirei that are forcefully winged to those they don't react to, my bond was something I hated rather than cherished. I didn't think anyone could help me until you came along." She finished as she rested her head on his shoulder. They sat there for a moment before Akitsu raised her head and looked up into his eyes. "I think forcefully winged Sekirei are also broken in a way."

"It could be." Roxas said as he gently reached over and rested his hand over hers.

"Roxas…" Akitsu started, getting his attention. "How did you free me?"

Roxas felt a small bit of panic enter his heart. How was he supposed to answer that question? Was he even ready to answer that question?

Feeling his panic, Akitsu dropped her gaze a bit. "Ah…I'm sorry. Forget I asked."

"No…don't sweat it." Roxas said. "Its just…difficult to explain. Please give me time to figure out how I can put it into words."

"Ah…" Akitsu paused. "Ok. I will be patient."

"Thanks Akitsu." Roxas said before his eyes widened a bit. He completely forgot that he dropped the ice cream when he saved the shrine girl.

"Damn it." He cursed before he laughed lightly, causing Akitsu to look up at him. "Say, you want to go out and get something to eat with me?"

"Ah…" Akitsu said, a small blush crossing her face. "I would love too.

* * *

 **Authors Note: Hey everyone. Another chapter down. Now I know a lot of you may ask questions about some things I change with cannon, for example, the made up connection between Nozomi and Miya, but you have to remember, this is Fan fiction. There will be changes to the main story because I'm not really following cannon too much here. Also, a lot of you might say Akitsu is out of character, which is true to a point. I gave her a bit more personality and common sense than in most fics, or cannon in general.**

 **Also, Roxas now owns Nozomi Inn. It was not a whim; I assure you I have plans for it. I know a lot of you would have wanted to see him live at Izumo inn, but its not going to happen. He will interact a lot with the characters, but he will have his own place to manage.**

 **So, what did you think? You like it? Hate it? I knew in my last fic there were a few people who don't like Romance, but this is Sekirei, there will be romance between Roxas and other characters in the story. If you don't like it, than this fic is probably not for you.**

 **Until then!**


	4. Chapter 4: Izumo

**Authors Note: Hello everyone, I once again thank you for the support on the story. Now, I got a comment on my previous chapter about moving the plot forward. Basically the complaint was that they wanted the plot to move by seeing Junichi killed and Yashima saved NOW! If you guys feel that way, I just have to ask you to be patient. These chapters are for the development of the characters, the world building, and the relationship development. Those things cannot be rushed. Also, it would be extremely stupid if I just had something like "Roxas and Akitsu walk down the street, see Junichi and Yashima, and BAM! She's saved." That's lame and boring, Absolutely no excitement and reason for it to happen.**

 **I have a plan that I will execute soon, but I ask you to be patient. This is my fan fiction and I will write it the way that I want it to be written. I hate reading rushed stories and I hate writing them.**

 **Now for those of you who are actually enjoying the story and appreciate the development and world building I am trying to do, thank you very much. You're the reason I have motivation to continue updating this story on a regular basis.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

 **Warning: spelling and grammar will be present because I don't have a beta. I apologize for it, but this is something I do in my free time. I will try my best to find them all, but I am not perfect.**

* * *

Unbound

Chapter 4

If there were a person that was more confused at the moment that Homura, he would have loved to meet them. After his rather strange encounter with the mysterious…person who claimed he was not a Sekirei, Homura found himself slowly walking back to Izumo Inn.

"It's not possible. Humans have never displayed any kind of power. But why would he claim not to be a Sekirei?" Homura murmured to himself as he approached the front entrance to Izumo Inn.

"Ah, Homura, welcome back."

Homura looked up to see Miya standing there, a broom in her hand, a friendly smile on her face.

"Thank you Miya…Haven't I asked you to call me Kagari while at Izumo?" He responded as he walked through the front door.

"Many times." Miya said, her smile ever present. "But I find it pointless when everyone here already knows who you are. Would you like dinner? We ate not to long ago and it's not to late to warm you up a plate."

"That would be nice. Thank you Miya." Homura responded. "You wouldn't happen to know if Matsu is in, would you?"

Miya cocked her head slightly. "Yes she is in. It's not like she ever leaves."

Homura laughed lightly. "You have a point. I need to go ask her something really quick."

"Alright, I will warm you up a plate in the meantime." Miya said as she walked into the Inn.

Homura followed after her, but walked down the hallway and up the stairs before he stood in front of a blank wall. He was about to knock on it, but the wall suddenly swung open, nearly smacking Homura in the face had he not leaned back.

A very attractive redhead poked her head out of the entryway, smiling up at Homura with a sultry grin. She had glasses, a white dress, and her hair was weaved into two braids. "You need something from me Homura? Perhaps a little…Experiment?" The girl asked.

Homura growled a little. "You know, it's really creepy that you spy on us with those camera's. How many times have I told you to take those down?"

"I don't know what you mean." Matsu said innocently. "Its just my woman's intuition to know when a man has certain urges that need to be satisfied."

"Not in the mood right now for your perverted attitude Matsu. I just need to ask you a question. You have information on all the Sekirei right?"

Matsu pushed up her glasses as a proud grin crossed her face. "Who do you think I am? I have any and all information in the MBI database, including detailed files of all the Sekirei. Why do you ask?"

"I need you to search one up for me. Can I come in?" He asked.

Matsu raised an eyebrow as she moved to the side, allowing Homura to enter her…rather filthy room. It was littered with junk food, candy wrappers, and potato chip bags. Computer monitors littered the walls and gave the room a very dim glow, being the only source of light.

Glancing at one of the monitors, Homura nearly sputtered as what was on the screen. "Matsu, seriously?" He said as he turned away.

"Oh, c'mon, don't pretend like you don't watch Porn every once in a while."

"I don't." Homura responded as he watched Matsu minimize quite a few windows on the screens. She then when to typing on her keyboard, her fingers moving at blinding speed.

"I am curious Homura, why don't you ask Miya if you have a question about one of the Sekirei? She is the pillar after all." Matsu asked as she continued to type.

"You know as well as I do that she doesn't like talking about the Sekirei plan. It brings up to many memories and I will avoid bringing it up with her unless I have to. She deserves that much doesn't she?" Homura said.

"Yeah." Matsu said, her eyes becoming a bit downcast. "I guess your right. So, who are we looking for? You have a name or a number?"

"No, but I have a description."

"Oh? I like a challenge." Matsu said, a small grin crossing her face. She stretched her fingers and hovered them over the keyboard. "Let me have it."

"Based on his voice, he is a male Sekirei. He has a black coat with a hood, and he uses a…Black weapon."

Matsu's fingers didn't budge when she heard the description. She had never heard of any kind of Sekirei like that before. "Um…could you be more specific with what the weapon looked like?" She asked, hoping to get more of a hint.

"I don't know how to describe it. I have never seen a weapon like it before…but if I could guess, it sort of looked like a…giant key." Homura finished.

"A giant key." Matsu repeated as she looked over her shoulder in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"…Yes." Homura responded. It honestly did sound really silly, but that was the best way he could describe it."

Matsu still paused, not typing anything on the keyboard. "Well…I will search through the MBI database, but I have never heard or seen any Sekirei with a weapon like that. And the fact that the Sekirei is male, that should narrow down the list quite a bit. Why do you want to find this Sekirei anyway?"

"Just…something he said bothered me." Homura responded, his eyes narrowing a bit at the computer monitor.

Matsu started typing again, her fingers flying over the keyboard and she typed in code to the command prompt. She filtered through the Sekirei based on Homura's description, but nothing showed up. Finally, in a last effort, Matsu searched out every Sekirei and dumped their profiles onto the monitors. Instantly, the images of all the Sekirei began flashing through the screens, displaying the face, numbers, abilities, and the winging status of each and every Sekirei in the game as well as there Ashikabi.

After about two minuets, every Sekirei and their statistics were on the computer screens.

"That's strange." Matsu said as she adjusted her glasses. "Not a single one matches that description. No Sekirei uses a weapon like that."

"That's impossible." Homura responded, his eyes narrowing.

"Its true, there are no Sekirei that use a…giant key." Matsu said, giggling at the weapon description again. She glanced over her shoulder at Homura. "Are you sure you weren't dreaming or something?"

"No, I wasn't!" Homura said, annoyance thick in his voice. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he got an idea. "Can you hack into the MBI satellites?"

"Well, yes. But that could take a little time."

"Could you get footage of tonight near the south part of Shinto?"

"Are you serious Homura?" Matsu asked, disbelief in her voice. "How do you know the satellites even recorded in that area? Do you know how unlikely that is?"

"Just look for me, ok?"

Giving a sigh of defeat, Matsu nodded her head. "Alright, I will get back to you if I find anything."

"I appreciate it." Homura responded, as he looked at all the Sekirei on the screen. Most of them had the status of "Winged" next to their names as well as the name of their Ashikabi. It looked like his job would be finished soon, now that there was so few un-winged Sekirei left. He was a little disappointed with himself because there were many Sekirei that he couldn't protect, either from the lightning twins, or from being forcefully winged. But then again, he could not be everywhere at once. Shinto was a large city after all.

He was about to exit the room, but his eye fell on the status of one more Sekirei. Immediately his eyes widened as he moved over to the computer monitor, making sure he wasn't mistaken.

"That's not possible." He whispered just loud enough for Matsu to hear him.

"What?" She asked.

Homura pointed to the Sekirei on the screen. She had shoulder length brown hair, a blank stare on her face, and the Sekirei crest imprinted on her forehead. However, the thing that caught Homura's attention was her status.

Winged.

"Matsu, don't you know who this is?" Homura asked.

"Yeah, that's number zero-seven Akitsu. The broken Sekir…Oh!" Matsu said as she saw her status, understanding why Homura was freaking out. Her eyes widened as well at this information.

"Her status says winged, but she was the scrapped number. There was no way she could emerge." Homura responded, staring at her winged status. He then glanced down at who the Ashikabi was. "Roxas."

Matsu glanced at the date that Akitsu had been winged before her eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh yeah." Matsu said as she turned back to her monitor before typing a few commands into the computer. "I remember a few days back that MBI went in a complete panic for some reason. It was around the time that Akitsu got her wings. I think that threw MBI a curveball."

"Who is her Ashikabi?" Homura asked.

"On it." Matsu said as she finished typing on her keyboard. She hit enter before a small profile opened up on one of the screens. It showed a young boy with spikey blond hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Hmm." Homura hummed as he looked at the information. "Roxas…No surname. Age: 17. Parent: Unknown. Birthplace: unknown." Homura read in disbelief. "Are you kidding me, this is all MBI has on this kid?"

Matsu was just as shocked as Homura. "Wow, that is interesting. With the resources MBI has, you would think they could dig up more."

"Apparently not." Homura said as he turned away from the wall of monitors. "Well, it's not my concern anyway. See if you can get any footage from the MBI satellites would you?"

"On it. And I will see if I can dig anything up on this…Roxas character as well. I think it could be fun."

Homura rolled his eyes. "You do that then. Let me know if you find anything." He finished as he walked out of the room. His mind went back to everything he had learned. "What the hell is going on here?" he whispered to himself as he walked down the hallway. For starters, he met a mysterious person who could go toe to toe with Hikari and Hibiki. Those two were not that strong, but they weren't slouches either. Then this person claimed not to be a Sekirei, and with the lack of information from the MBI database, his claim could not be refuted yet. It could be a Sekirei in disguise, but why would they hide themselves?

Then after all that, he learned that the un-wing-able scrapped number had emerged. Not only that, but by and individual that not even MBI could dig up a significant amount of information on. It had been a confusing night indeed.

"What is going on here?" Homura said again as he massaged his temples.

* * *

It was the next morning after Roxas's encounter with the lightning twins and the fire Sekirei. Currently, Roxas and Akitsu were walking down the road in the direction to Izumo Inn. It was finally time to meet this Asama Miya now that everything had settled down a bit. Roxas was finally done with Shinto locksmith after they nearly worked him to death. Luckily they found a replacement pretty quick. They were still a bit sad to see him go though.

Looking down at the envelope, the address pointed to the area around this location. He sure did hope that this woman might be able to give him some much-needed advice because he was drawing a blank here on how to run the Inn.

As they were walking, Roxas glanced over at Akitsu's…particular choice of attire. She was wearing a beautiful white kimono with a black Obi. It was very modest, but the top was nearly slipping off her shoulders, revealing a generous amount of cleavage. The only thing that was keeping it from completely falling off was a chain she wore. It wrapped around her neck and looped threw two holes in the collar of the Kimono to keep it from slipping. All in all, she attracted a lot of attention.

"Akitsu…why are you wearing that again?" Roxas asked for the fifth time that day, his face growing warm as he glanced away.

"Ah…" Akitsu paused. "I like it."

"But why the chain?"

Because…it reminds me of when we first met. I was a broken chain, and you gathered the pieces and put them back together. It…reminds me that I am no longer broken." Akitsu said, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.

"Ok…" Roxas said, his eyes catching her chest again. "Cant you just…close the top a bit more?" He asked, his face turning another shade of red.

"…Ok." Akitsu responded as she took the edges of her kimono top and pulled them together a bit. It didn't help because the top fell back right where it was before.

"…" Roxas gave a sigh, deciding not to ask again. She had done that five times now, but her top never stayed closed. It was like she was doing this on purpose.

Little did Roxas know, that was exactly Akitsu's plan. She could feel her Ashikabi's embarrassment and…attraction toward her, making her smile a bit. She knew her Ashikabi was new to those kinds of interactions, which was part of the reason she chose this kind of dress. If she could get him use to a woman's body little by little, she could make some progress on the more intimate parts of there relationship. He needed to become accustom to it sooner than later.

The address on the envelope pointed Roxas and Akitsu to the north part of Shinto. It wasn't too far from Nozomi Inn. Roxas easily recognized the area because he had run quite a few jobs here when he worked as a locksmith. According the address, they were pretty close to there destination.

"It should be around here." Roxas said as he glanced at the address again. It was a little different walked to places because he would have usually used the Corridor of Darkness to a nearby place and made his way there. But with Akitsu, that was no longer an option. It did made navigation a little bit newer, but he didn't mind it because he enjoyed Akitsu's company. She didn't say much, but feeling her contentment through the bond made him happy.

"Ah…is that it?" Akitsu asked as she pointed to a nearby area with a wooden fence surrounding the property.

Roxas looked up from the envelope to see a sign that said "Izumo Inn: Room's available."

"Yep, this is it. Nice going Akitsu." Roxas said, causing the stoic woman to blush a little. He and Akitsu walked up to the entrance of the fence that led to a rather spacious yard surrounding the home. It looked like a very nice place considering where he had been living. Everything about it screamed traditional Japanese. It almost reminded him of Nozomi's house, but obviously much larger.

Already, he spotted someone sweeping the front deck. She was a slender woman with long purple hair. She was wearing a modest purple Hakama and a white Haori. She was very beautiful as well.

They got within 20 feet of her before she looked up from what she was doing. Right when she caught sight of Roxas and Akitsu, her eyes widened slightly as the broom fell from her grasp. She stood there like a ridged statue, almost as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

This response was not something Roxas was expecting. He stopped a few feet from the woman, confused as to why she was reacting this way.

"Um…are you ok?" Roxas asked.

His words seemed to knock the woman out of her stupor. She blinked a few times as she composed herself, coughing once into her sleeve before she reached down and picked up her broom.

"Y-Yes, I apologize. Can I help you?" She asked, her previous composure was replaced with one of grace and elegance.

Roxas thought the first interaction with this woman was pretty strange, but shrugged it off. "My name is Roxas. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh?" The woman said as she gave a small bow. "My name is Asama Miya. What can I do for you today?" She asked politely with a smile.

"Your Asama Miya?" Roxas asked, causing the woman to nod. He looked down at the letter in his hand before he held it up for her to see. "Well, you wouldn't happen to know Nozomi would you? She ran an Inn a few blocks down the street."

"Nozomi-san? Yes I know her very well. She was a big help in advising my husband and I on how to run an Inn. I haven't talked to her in a few weeks. How is she?"

Roxas felt a small lump in his throat as he looked down slightly. "She…passed away a few days ago."

"Oh." Miya said as a hurt expression crossed her face. "That…is very sad news. She had been my friend for a while. She seemed in very good health last time I talked to her though."

"She was…murdered." Roxas forced out, whispering the last word as he tried to gain control over his emotions. He felt Akitsu's hand feather into his, trying to offer some form of comfort again, which really helped.

"I'm…so sorry." Miya responded, feeling very sad at the news. She could tell by the look on his face that Roxas had taken it very hard as well. "Oh, where are my manners? Will you and Akitsu please come in? I will make some tea." She said as she gestured to the door.

Roxas forced the lump in his throat down as he looked up at Miya and nodded. Miya slid open the front door before walking through. Roxas was about to follow, but paused as a thought occurred to him, causing Akitsu to pause as well.

"Akitsu…" Roxas started.

"Yes?"

"Did you ever introduce yourself?"

"Ah…" Akitsu paused as her eyes widened a slightly, already seeing what Roxas was getting at. "No."

Roxas narrowed his eyes a hint as he walked through the front door with one question on his mind.

How did Miya know Akitsu's name?

* * *

It was a few minuets later that Roxas and Akitsu found themselves sitting on the floor in front of a large table. Miya was sitting across from them, poring the tea with an absurd amount of elegance. Once she was finished, she set the cups in front of Roxas and Akitsu before taking one for herself. She gently sipped the liquid with a sad expression on her face.

"It saddens me to hear that Nozomi passed away. You said your name was Roxas, no?" Miya asked.

Roxas nodded as he took a small sip of tea. It was quite delicious, but Miya had perked his suspicions.

Miya giggled a bit as she set her cup down. "I remember now. Nozomi mentioned you a few times. She said that you looked like a troublemaking boy, but in actuality you were very responsible and respectful."

Roxas gave a small laugh as he set the teacup back on the table, deciding to put his suspicions on hold for now. "Yeah, that was the first things she said to me when we first met."

"Well, what can I do for you? Surely you didn't come here just to tell me that she passed away."

"Actually no." Roxas said as he set down his cup of tea. "Nozomi left the apartment complex to me in her will, as well as everything she owned. I don't know why, but I am now the owner of Nozomi Inn."

Miya's eyes widened a bit. "But you're so young."

"Yeah, I know. I don't have the first idea of how to run an Inn. She left me this as well." Roxas said as he lifted the envelope that was addressed to Miya. "I was told to give this to you by her Lawyer."

Miya looked at the envelope in his hand before reaching out and taking it. She opened it before pulling out a letter. As she started to read it, her expression gradually saddened. Eventually she finished and folded the letter before placing it back down on the table. She gave a small, sad sigh as she looked back up at Roxas and Akitsu.

"Well, she basically said that she was glad to be friends with me and my late husband. She also asked if I could look after…" a small smile formed on her face as she giggled a bit. "The blond bonehead."

A small tick mark formed on Roxas's forehead as he scoffed. Even when she was dead, Nozomi still found ways to tease him.

"Of course she would say that." Roxas grumbled. "Anything else?"

"Yes, she said she left everything to you and asked if I could give you some advice on how to run an inn." Miya finished.

Roxas looked up in hope. "Really? You could really help me?"

Miya paused for a moment, deep in thought about this situation. "Well, this is a rather peculiar situation, but I guess I can lend a hand. I may know someone that can help with maintenance and running the complex. He may be a complete scumbag, but he has pulled through on a…few occasions."

Roxas swore the temperature dropped a few degrees when Miya mentioned this person. It was almost like she didn't like this man at all.

"He is handy with tools and is always looking for work, but he can never really hold a job and his responsibility level is that of a teenager...

Roxas felt a little awkward at that comment. "I'm a teenager as well." Roxas grumbled.

Miya ignored him as she continued her rant. "He always begs food off me, and doesn't have the lightest about of respect either. But I believe he might be perfect because he just got kicked out of his apartment."

"Um…" Roxas sweat dropped. "Do I really want this guy in my complex? And how do you know that he just got kicked out?"

That's when Roxas and Akitsu saw it. A Hannya mask materialized over Miya's left shoulder as she laughed into her sleeve, a very eerie smile on her face. "Well, recently he arrived at my little humble inn and begged food off me again. He even had the gal to ask if he could stay here. Of course I don't deny anyone who needs help and I agreed, but for some reason, he suddenly changed his mind. I don't have the slightest clue as to why? Ufufufuf."

"I think I might have an idea." Roxas whispered to Akitsu as they both eyed the mask with morbid curiosity. Akitsu nodded in agreement.

"Did you say something?"

"Nope." Roxas responded quickly, he and Akitsu quickly shaking their heads.

The Hannya mask disappeared as Miya gave Roxas a sympathetic look. "Wait here, I need to make a phone call. If my prediction is correct, he might just be feeling a little hungry right about now."

"Ok."

"Please excuse me." Miya said politely as she excused herself from the table. She slid the door shut behind her, leaving Roxas and Akitsu alone in the room.

"She's pretty…interesting." Roxas said, shivering a bit as he remembered the fascinating, yet terrifying intimidation technique.

Akitsu nodded, her eyes looking around the very neat and clean dining area. From what it looked like, Miya knew how to run and inn. Hopefully she would be able to give some good advice on how to succeed.

"Miya! I'm starving. Is dinner almost ready yet?"

Roxas and Akitsu turned their heads to see the door to the living room suddenly slide open. Standing there in only a very tight shirt and a pair of panties was an incredibly attractive woman. She had long brunette hair with a ponytail spouting off to the side. She was about as tall as Akitsu as well.

Immediately, Roxas's face flared up a dark shade of red as he turned his eyes away. He raised the teacup and took a long swig in an attempt to distract himself.

"Miya, where are you?" The woman called out before she finally noticed the other two sitting at the table. "Oh? We have some guests?"

Roxas continued to keep his head turned, making sure to avoid looking at the girl.

A small grin formed on the woman's face as she noticed the dark shade of red on Roxas's ears. Immediately, her teasing personality honed in on the potentially easy target.

"And a cutie at that." She said as she let herself into the room, walking around Akitsu and Roxas before she sat down across from them. "What's your name blonde? Haven't seen you around before."

"Roxas." Roxas said simply, staring down at the table. This woman was making it really hard not to keep his eyes off her now that she was sitting directly in front of him.

"Well, nice to meet cha. Names Uzume." Uzume said as she leaned forward, resting an arm under her chest to make it more pronounced. "You new tenants or something?"

"Not exactly." Roxas responded, averting his eyes a different direction.

Akitsu narrowed her eyes just slightly, not really liking the way her Ashikabi was feeling at the moment to someone that was not his Sekirei. She grasped his arm with her hands and forced it between her breasts, causing Roxas's face to go another shade of red. She gave a slight satisfied smile as she felt his embarrassment and shyness directed towards her now.

Roxas was bewildered at the situation. His heart was racing like never before. First it was directed at Uzume because of the way she was dressed, but now it was directed at Akitsu because of her sudden action. In the past, she would lightly hug his arm, but now it was forced into her chest. Why was she acting this way?

"Akitsu…what are you doing?" Roxas murmured, trying to pull his arm away, but his quiet Sekirei refused to let him go. She was looking at Uzume with her eyes narrowed just slightly.

Uzume seemed to notice this as well, causing her to grin like the Cheshire cat. She couldn't help but be amused by both Roxas and Akitsu's reaction. She actually started laughing.

"I wish you two were new tenants. This place would be so much more interesting with you two around."

"Oh, I'm sorry my Inn is so boring."

Everyone felt a shiver go down there spines as the temperature dropped a few degrees. Slowly, all heads turned towards the door to see Miya standing there with an overly sweet smile on her face. The Hannya mask was hovering over her shoulder again.

"Uzume-san. What have I told you about walking around immodestly." She said, directing her attention at the scantily clad girl.

Uzume felt dread wash over her. "Um…Sorry Miya. I-I didn't know anyone else was going to be here."

"I leave for two minuets and already there are lewd actions taking place. You know my rules, do you not?" Miya asked, the creepiness of her smile increasing with each word.

Uzume panicked a bit as she stood up. "I'm sorry Miya. I will change right now." She said quickly as she bolted out of the room.

Miya then turned her eerie smile at Roxas and Akitsu before she noticed Akitsu holding Roxas's arm prisoner within her chest.

"I will let you off with a warning since you don't know the rules. Violence and Illicit behavior is strictly forbidden here in Izumo Inn. I ask that such actions be reserved for when you leave." She said firmly.

Akitsu seemed to get the hint as she released Roxas's arm.

"Ah…Yes Mam" Roxas and Akitsu said simultaneously.

"Good." Miya finished as the Hannya mask disappeared. Roxas and Akitsu gave a small sigh of relief as the sudden pressure left the room. "Well, since you have your own Inn now, I do have a few words of advice I can offer you, especially when dealing with troublemaking tenants."

"Troublemaking tenants…" Roxas repeated. "Well, I know Nozomi had a problem with a few in the complex, but I don't think they will be a problem anymore."

Miya giggled a bit. "Yes, I remember Nozomi mentioning a few. I always recommended that she throw them out, but Nozomi had a big heart." She said before a curious look crossed her face. "How many tenants does your complex have now?"

Roxas bit his lower lip a little. "Well, we don't have any actually."

Miya's eyes widened a little. "Your sure? Last time I talked with Nozomi, she had multiple tenants. What happened to them all?"

"Well, most of them moved out because they thought the Inn was going to close down without Nozomi. The others I…kicked out." Roxas admitted.

"…Why would you do that?"

"Because they were…troublemaking tenants." Roxas responded, causing Miya to giggle. "And they badmouthed Nozomi. They called her an old bad that should have died a long time ago."

Miya's eyes narrowed as well. Hearing that someone had such disrespect for a respectable person who passed away, it was infuriating.

"Well, they got what was coming to them. But if you're going to keep that place afloat, you need a source of income. Do you have any ideas?"

"I don't." Roxas said as he shook his head.

"Hmmm." Miya hummed to herself. "Well, the man I talked about earlier will just have to be the starting point. He can do simple maintenance and cleaning, but he will probably charge that as his rent."

"That's true. I don't have a maintenance man. So I think he can stay at the Inn if he does maintenance and cleaning." Roxas said as he scratched his chin.

"And from what I know, Nozomi already paid off the Inn, so her bills just include things like water and electricity. She was always good with her money." Miya continued. "I don't think you even need to have that many tenants because of that."

"Yeah I noticed." Roxas responded, thinking back to the mountains of paperwork he had to sign. Nozomi was actually very Froogle with her money, accumulating quite a bit in her bank account which was also passed to him with everything else. "I have budgeted it out. I can stay afloat for a little while until I need tenants."

Miya gave Roxas a small smile. "I can see what Nozomi was talking about when she said you were responsible. To be able to take care of an Inn is a lot of work. She must have trusted you a lot to place this burden on your shoulders."

Roxas blushed a bit at the praise as he scratched the back of his head. "Thanks."

"Not at all." Miya said as she looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh my, look at the time. I best start making dinner. Would you and Akitsu like to join us?"

Roxas blinked a few times as he looked at the clock on the wall. She was right, it was nearly dinnertime. "Um…I wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense. I insist. It's been a while since we had guests."

"Well…" Roxas said as he looked over at Akitsu. "Do you want to stay?"

"Ah…" Akitsu paused. "I will stay if you want to."

Roxas looked at her flatly. Honestly, he expected that kind of answer from her. But considering that they would have something instant if they went home now, a nice home cooked meal would be a pleasant change.

"Then that would be nice. Thank you."

* * *

It was just a few moments later that Roxas found himself sitting in front of a very well made feast. His own cooking wasn't bad, but this was on a whole different level. Just the sight of it was making his mouth water. An array of perfectly seasoned fish, light salad, rice steamed to perfection, and a delicious miso broth to complement the meal. Sheesh, if these tenants had this kind of meal every day, he might just sell the Inn and move to Izumo.

Joining them at the table was just Akitsu, Miya, and Uzume. Uzume was now wearing a shirt with a star right in the middle, as well as Capri pants. But oddly enough, for the rather comfortable inn, there were not many people around for dinner.

"Is this everyone?" Roxas asked as he looked at the thin roster of people surrounding the table.

"Most everyone. Kagari usually comes home around now, but he rarely eats with us." Uzume said as she started to load up her plate.

"Kagari?" Roxas asked as he took a few things as well.

"Uh huh." Uzume said as she took a bite of freshly cooked fish. "Delicious Miya."

"Ufufuf. Thank you. How is everything Roxas?" She asked.

Roxas took a small bite of fish as well. "Its…wonderful." He replied. It was quite honestly some of the best food he had been served in a long time.

"I'm glad. Its always nice to have guests in the house."

Uzume looked over at Roxas and Akitsu, who were both quietly eating. "So bro, is that you're girlfriend or something?"

"Well…I guess you could say that." Roxas responded, a small blush dusting his and Akitsu's cheeks.

"Damn. She is quite a catch, you must have a way with the ladies." She said, grinning as a darker blush crossed his face.

"Uzume, is this really appropriate talk for dinner?" Miya asked.

"C'mon Miya. I'm just having a little fun. Besides, he is making it way too easy. I mean, just look at his face. I don't think a tomato could be any redder." She teased.

Roxas grumbled a bit as he continued eating. Uzume was teasing him just as much as Nozomi would.

The door to the living room suddenly slid open, catching everyone attention. Poking their head through the door was another person with short, silver-gray hair. He was wearing a white button up shirt as well as black slacks.

The moment Roxas looked up at this man's face, he knew there was something about him he recognized.

"Miya, sorry I'm late for dinner." The man said.

"Oh, Kagari. They let you off early today?" Miya said as she started to make him a plate of food.

"Yeah. It wasn't too busy today." Kagari responded as he entered the room. He glanced over at Roxas and Akitsu. His eyes widened just slightly before he quickly composed himself. "N-New tenants?" he stuttered

Miya raised and eyebrows slightly at his brief loss of composure as she shook her head. She gestured to the two guests. "This is Roxas and Akitsu. They are just joining us for dinner and asking some advice from me."

"Advice huh? I see." He said. "Nice to meet you. My name is Kagari."

"Pleasure." Roxas responded.

"Will you be joining us today?" Miya asked.

"Sorry Miya, I am feeling a bit tired, so I think I will just take this too my room. Thank you." He said as he took a plate of prepared food from Miya. He turned back to Roxas and Akitsu. "It was nice to meet you both."

Roxas slowly nodded his head. "Nice to meet you too…Kagari."

"Oh, Kagari, would you take this plate of food as well. I think another one of my little birdies might be feeling hungry as well."

"Of course Miya." Kagari said as he took another plate of prepared food. He walked threw the door and slid it closed, leaving the room a little quiet.

Roxas's mind was going haywire. He knew Kagari looked familiar, but the moment he heard the man's voice, it was undeniable.

Kagari was Homura, the fire wielding Sekirei. They both had that silver-grey hair, the same build, the same sharp eyes, and the exact same voice. There was no denying it. He didn't expect to see him so soon, but here he was, living in a humble inn with the rest of these people.

Akitsu shot a glance at her Ashikabi as she caught a glimpse of those emotions passing through him. She was a bit confused as to why he was feeling that way. From what she could tell, this was the first time Roxas had ever met Kagari, but she felt like he had recognized him.

"Something wrong Bro?" Uzume asked, her eyebrow rose at his expression.

"Um…no, nothing's wrong, just thinking about something." Roxas responded as he turned his attention back to his food. He would think about it more later. "That was Kagari?"

"Yep. Kagari works as a local host. He is pretty popular with the ladies as well. I think you two would get along." Uzume said, causing Roxas to scoff again.

* * *

It was about halfway through an enjoyable dinner when they were once again interrupted by the sound of the living room door opening. Even before turning around to see who it was, Roxas could tell that Miya was not happy. She had that creepy smile on her face the moment she saw who was standing in the doorway.

"Hey Miya!" a masculine voice said as he casually entered the room. Roxas looked over his shoulder to see a man standing there. He had dark brown hair, and his eyes were sharp and calculating. He was wearing a dark brown jacket and a white undershirt as well as dark green cargo pants.

Roxas's eyes lingered on him for only a second before they turned to the two other people who were behind him, both with apologetic looks on their faces.

His eyes widened and his stomach dropped when he instantly recognized who these two were.

The lightning twins.

What the hell was going on? How in the world did he just see Homura and these two again in the same exact Inn? This could not be a coincidence. What in the world was this place and how was it involved with the Sekirei?

Roxas quickly swallowed as he tried to compose himself. He turned away from them, acting like he wasn't interested in the new guests by taking another bite of rice. Hikari and Hibiki were not wearing there…revealing leather outfits this time. Instead, they supported more modest and regular clothing. He was still majorly confused as to what they were doing here, but he needed to keep a cool head. He didn't want to act suspicious.

Akitsu frowned a bit as she looked between her Ashikabi and the twins, obviously confused as to why her Ashikabi was reacting this way to the new guests. This was the second time she felt like he recognized someone, which confused her. Had he met these people before?

"Seo. It's impolite to just barge into a person's house. Even if I did invite you here, have the courtesy to knock." She said sweetly.

"Well, with the smell of your delicious cooking, I couldn't help but let myself in. You don't mind do you?" he asked with a grin. Hikari suddenly bonked him on the head though.

"Damn it Seo." She cursed. "I told you we should have knocked."

"We are really sorry for the intrusion, please forgive us." Hibiki said as she and Hikari bowed low.

"Ufufuf, you should learn some manners from them Seo. Especially when I have guests in my house."

"Speaking of which…" Seo said as he rubbed the growing lump on his head, glancing over at Roxas and Akitsu. "Who's the runt and the…Damn, those are some nice breasts."

BONK!

Roxas blinked his eyes as Seo fell flat on his face, curtsy of Hikari's fist being firmly planted on the back of his head.

"Seo. That kind of talk is forbidden at Izumo Inn." Miya said dangerously, the Hannya mask materializing again.

"I'm sorry." Seo said as he looked up at the annoyed landlady, his face growing a bit pale. "Why Takehito taught you how to do that, I will never know." Seo muttered under his breath.

"You say something?"

"Nope! Nothing." Seo responded as he slowly sat up.

The mask disappeared as Miya gave a sigh. She looked over at Roxas and Akitsu, who were just watching the scene in fascination. They continued eating their food like they were watching an interesting television show.

"Roxas, this good for nothing waste of space is Seo. He was the one I was talking about earlier."

"You don't say." Roxas said as he looked at the older man.

"Miya, who is this kid."

"He is the one I told you about over the phone. The one that might be willing to rent you out an apartment."

Seo, Hikari, and Hibiki's eyes widened a bit as they looked over at the young man.

"This little squirt? Is he even old enough to own a business?" Seo asked, causing Roxas's eye to twitch a bit in annoyance.

Interestingly enough, the more abrasive of the lightning twins wacked Seo over the head again. "Seo! Don't insult a potential landlord!" she snapped before she turned to Roxas. "I'm sorry about him. He has no manners."

"That's one thing you two have in common." Roxas muttered, remembering her from the other night.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing." Roxas responded quickly. "Yes, I own Nozomi Inn now."

"Nozomi inn?" Seo asked as he scratched his chin. "Didn't that Inn belong to your old friend, Nozomi? Never did give that place a shot."

The atmosphere suddenly drew a bit dimmer when Seo mentioned her name. Roxas felt a twinge of pain as his eyes dropped slightly.

"Seo, Nozomi passed away recently. She left everything she owned to Roxas." Miya said, sensing the sad atmosphere.

"Really? That's a pity." Seo said as he turned his attention to Roxas and Akitsu, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Roxas responded.

"So you may have a room available for me and my…two friends?" he asked as he gestured to the lightning twins.

Roxas looked up at the man. Honestly, with what he experienced last night with those two girls, he didn't know if he wanted to lend out an apartment to them. And this man that was with them, Seo, Roxas could only assume that he was there Ashikabi. But if he was, was he the Ashikabi for them both? Did he have two Sekirei? Or was Roxas just completely wrong.

However…

If he were an Ashikabi, it would be useful to keep him close by, just in case. He might be able to ask him a few questions about the Sekirei plan, seeing that Seo looked like he was already involved. But then again, Roxas didn't want them to know that he was also an Ashikabi because he didn't want to fight yet.

"Miya mentioned that you had some experience with maintenance. I could use a handyman around the complex."

"Well, you're looking at the right guy. I do all sorts of jobs around this city." Seo boasted with pride.

"If only you could keep those jobs, we wouldn't have to look for a new apartment." Hikari growled.

Seo slumped a little, seeing as he had no support from his Sekirei. "Well, what do you say? Will you give me a lease?"

"You work as the complex maintenance and cleaning, and you have yourself a deal." Roxas responded as he held out his hand. He was still a bit skeptical about this man, but decided to go with it anyway.

"Excellent! Is it too much to ask if we can move in tonight? We are kind of out of options at the moment." Seo said, his two Sekirei nodding in agreement, a pleading look in their eyes.

"I guess so."

"Awesome. You're the man. So much nicer than staying with this overly strict landlady and her rundown Inn." Seo said casually as he gestured to Miya.

The atmosphere dropped another few degrees as the Hannya mask appeared next to Miya again. "Oh? My inn is rundown you say? My rules are too strict you say? Well, it looks like you can find dinner someplace else since my inn is not up to your standards." She said sweetly.

All the color drained from Seo's face, along with Hibiki and Hikari's. The sound of two fists slamming into Seo's head echoed through the Inn.

"Damn it Seo! Just shut your mouth, will you!"

* * *

The rest of dinner went by with no more interruptions. Roxas and Seo engaged in a small conversation about what Nozomi Inn needed in maintenance and cleaning from Seo and his Sekirei. It was then that Roxas learned that Hikari and Hibiki actually had jobs of their own as waitresses at a nearby restaurant. They were the only source of income at the moment, but even with their jobs, they had a hard time affording much. It kind of spoke volumes about Seo's character, leaving Roxas a little concerned about his Inn.

When Roxas spoke of the other tenants that Nozomi Inn had, Seo's face went a little pale. The partying roommates must have left their apartments a complete mess, which would make Seo a very busy man the next couple of weeks. He may have been a little distraught about the information, but Hikari and Hibiki had no sympathy for him, saying that he needed to be put to work after loosing so many jobs.

It was quite a bit later in the evening that dinner was finished and Roxas was standing in front of the entrance to Izumo Inn with Akitsu at his side. Standing behind him was Seo, Hikari, and Hibiki. The two lightning Sekirei had a few sacks of rice in their arms as they apologized profusely to Miya.

Miya kindly waved them off as she turned to Roxas and Akitsu. "Now be sure to call when you need advice. Running an Inn can be very taxing."

"Thank you Miya…for everything." Roxas said with a smile.

"Your very welcome. Make sure you and Akitsu stop by for dinner once in a while. I would love to know how the Inn is doing." She said with a smile before she turned to Seo and the two Sekirei. "That invitation does not extend to you though."

"Aw. C'mon Miya." Seo wined, crocodile tears running down his face.

Miya ignored him as she turned her attention back to Roxas and Akitsu. "Do you need anything else? I could send you home with some food as well." She said as she threw a disapproving glance at Seo.

"I think we will be fine for now." Roxas responded.

Miya smiled at him. "Well, responsible and independent. Maybe the trash over there can learn a few things."

"Hey!" Seo whined.

Roxas chuckled as he turned to walk away. He waved a final time before he exited the property with Akitsu. Seo, Hikari, and Hibiki were following right behind.

"He is a nice young man, isn't he?" Miya said out loud to someone standing in the hallway.

Uzume giggled as she walked up to Miya. "He is pretty interesting." she commented. "Still, i find it surprising to see the scrapped number here. But not only that, she is winged."

"Yes, that is pretty shocking." Miya said, staring at the retreating form of Roxas, Akitsu, Seo, Hibiki, and Hikari.

Uzume also watched them leave as well, a small blush on her cheeks. "Roxas though, he is pretty cute."

* * *

Roxas led Seo and his Sekirei back to his Inn. It was a quiet night outside, hardly anyone about.

"She is quite a demon sometimes." Seo complained as he strode up and walked next to Roxas.

"It kind of looks like you bring it on yourself." Roxas replied, Akitsu nodding in agreement. "Are you two old friends?"

"Well, not especially. I was her late husbands good friend. I think that's the only reason she tolerates me." Seo responded as he stuck his hands in his pocket.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He passed away not to long ago. It was his and Miya's dream to open a Inn together."

"…Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Now it makes us even for me bringing up Nozomi earlier. It really is a shame she passed away. Never knew her personally, but I heard that she helped Miya and Takehito a lot in understanding how to run an Inn." Seo said as he glanced over at Akitsu. "She a friend of yours or something?"

"Or something." Roxas responded, not really sure if he could trust Seo quite yet.

Seo stared at Akitsu for a second before his eyes grew a bit serious. He gave a deep sigh as he stopped walking. Roxas took a few steps before he realized that Seo had stopped, causing him to pause as well. He looked back at the man and the twins. Seo gave another deep sigh as he drew a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket before plucking one out and sticking it in his mouth. He lit it and took a deep drag.

"Listen Roxas, I am just going to be honest with you. I know that Akitsu is a Sekirei and you're her Ashikabi." Seo said.

Roxas blinked a few times before he felt his stomach drop. He and Akitsu leaped back, putting a bit of distance between them. Immediately, the temperature in the area dropped quite a bit. A frosty coating was staring to extend around the area because of Akitsu's power.

The twins moved in front of their Ashikabi as lightening began to crackle around their hands. Their eyes narrowed as well.

Suddenly, Seo reached out and gently laid his hand on their shoulders, causing Hibiki and Hikari to blush a little, though Hikari tried to hide it.

"Calm down, I don't want to start a fight here." He told his Sekirei before he stepped in front of them. "I don't want to fight. I just want the air to be clear now that I am staying in your complex and all. And besides, don't think I didn't notice your reaction when you saw them. You knew right away what they were."

Akitsu's eyes widened a bit as she looked at her Ashikabi. She knew that he recognized someone when those three walked into the room. But she didn't know that he knew the two lightning twins were Sekirei. How did he know that?

"What do you want?" Roxas asked, not even bothering to deny Seo's claim.

"It's simple. I would rather not fight in this game. My best friend, Takehito, was a head adjuster at MBI. That company is the reason he's dead."

Roxas and Akitsu relaxed a bit. "Miya's husband was part of MBI?" Roxas asked, causing Seo to nod his head. "Then does Miya also know about this game?"

Seo paused in the middle of taking another drag of his cigarette. "Damn it. I guess I said to much." He said to himself as he looked up at Roxas. "You're more perceptive that I thought. Yes, she knows."

That made so much sense. Now Roxas could understand why so many Sekirei had appeared in her Inn. Did that also explain the reason she knew Akitsu's name without Akitsu introducing herself? But how much was she involved?

"How did you know about Akitsu?"

Seo chuckled a bit as he inhaled a lung full of smoke. "I know all about most of the Sekirei. I even had Takehito make a few adjustments on me. But Akitsu was more of a special case. She was a broken Sekirei, pre-winged because of the mistakes of her adjuster. She was one that wasn't supposed to be winged, but somehow you managed to do it."

Roxas narrowed his eyes a bit as the man continued to talk. He didn't like the way this conversation was heading.

"Naturally, your reputation precedes you. Anyone with any information about the Sekirei plan has already heard about your achievement. You have become somewhat of a legend among the Sekirei, being able to fix the broken Sekirei and all. I knew who she was the moment I saw her."

"And…what are you going to do now?" Roxas asked.

"Nothing." Seo responded as he dropped the cigarette and crushed it beneath his foot. "I just want to live peacefully and try to avoid this game entirely."

Roxas stared at the man, trying to detect any deception from him. However, Seo seemed genuinely honest about his motives.

"You and me both." Roxas said as he turned to Akitsu. "Relax, I believe him."

"Ah…" Akitsu paused as she eased up a little. "Ok."

"But still, damn. You managed to wing yourself a hot one. I mean, look at those breas…"

The rest of his sentence was interrupted by a sudden blast of lighting falling from the sky, striking Seo where he stood.

"SEO!"

* * *

It was later in the night when Roxas finally sat on his couch after he helped Seo find an apartment he wanted. It took a while because most of the apartments were pretty dirty from the past tenants.

Most of Roxas and Akitsu's stuff had been packed and their apartment was clean. Since he now owned Nozomi's house, there was no reason to live in the apartment anymore. He was going to move to the house the next morning.

Akitsu gently sat down beside him, looking at him with her inquisitive stare. There was something that she really wanted to ask.

Roxas noticed her staring at him, causing him to look over at her. "Something wrong?"

"Ah…" Akitsu started, trying to find the right words. "During dinner, when you saw Kagari, Seo, Hikari, and Hibiki, you felt like you recognized them. But they have never met you before. And also, how did you know Hikari and Hibiki were Sekirei?" Akitsu asked.

Roxas felt his heart sink at her question. He kept forgetting that Akitsu could vaguely feel his emotions. It seemed like there was nothing he could hide from her because of this bond.

"I…Um…I have never met them before." Roxas flat out lied.

Suddenly, his heard felt extremely heavy. He didn't know why, but he almost felt like crying. It took him all but a few seconds to realize it wasn't him that was feeling this way.

It was Akitsu.

She knew that he lied the moment those words left his mouth. He could feel how much that hurt her through the bond.

"Ah…" Akitsu said sadly. She slowly stood from her spot, looking away from him. "I-I hope that one day you will be able to…trust me."

Now Roxas felt awful. He actually felt like the biggest ass right now for lying like that. Akitsu had been nothing but honest, dedicated, helpful, and supported of him. And he couldn't even be honest with her? What was wrong with him?

But.

How was he supposed to explain it? How was he supposed to just tell here that he fought them just a couple days ago? If he told her that, what would he say in an explanation of how he survived? From what he could see, Sekirei were so much more powerful than humans. And if he explained that, he would have to tell her what he is…what he was.

And how would she be able to take that? How would she react if she knew that he was just a shadow of someone else, literally the leftovers of someone great?

Akitsu was about to walk into the bedroom, but Roxas quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist, preventing her from leaving. She glanced over to see Roxas holding onto her with a vice grip, his hair overshadowing his eyes.

"Akitsu, I'm sorry I lied. But it's just…" Roxas struggled. "I have met them before, but I just…Its just hard to explain. That opens the door for so many more questions, some of them having to do with myself. I have never told anyone about myself, not even Nozomi. I was…afraid of how she would react, how she would think of me." He looked up at her. "I'm also afraid of how you would think of me if…if I told you."

Akitsu stared down at her Ashikabi; the uncertainty he felt flooding into her heart like a title wave. He was really scared of how she would react if he told her about himself. He felt like she would abandon him, like she would be disgusted at what he was. Did he really think that? Did he really think she would leave him, abandon him like a piece of trash?

Like a broken Sekirei?

Did he really not know how much he meant to her?

Akitsu couldn't believe that her own Ashikabi felt that way. He really didn't understand.

But…

Narrowed her eyes in determination, Akitsu was going to make her Ashikabi understand one way or another.

Roxas felt horrible. He never intended to hurt Akitsu, but his own fear was driving her away. But that fear was still there. His past with how Nobodies were seen still haunted him. Diz's words were still fresh in his mind even though over a year had passed.

 _"_ _A Nobody doesn't have the right to know. Nor does it even have the right to be."_

That has stuck with him, preventing him from revealing anything about his past to anyone. But now he was in a situation where he was with a woman who said they would be together forever. No matter which way he looked at it, there would have to be a time where he would tell her everything.

And that frightened him.

Suddenly, Roxas felt two hands on each side of his face, slowly lifting his head until his eyes met Akitsu's. Slowly, Akitsu inched her face closer to his until there lips met. It was soft at first, but Akitsu wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss significantly. She crawled onto his lap, straddling his waist as she pressed her body against his, trying to poor all of her feelings into that kiss in an attempt to make her Ashikabi understand how she felt.

Roxas could not believe what he was feeling. He simply couldn't believe it. The pureness of Akitsu's emotions washed over him like a warm blanket. Never in his life had he felt such a powerful emotion. Silver-white wings erupted from her back, lighting up the entire room in a radiant glow. It looked like an angel had been sent from heaven to fill the gaping emptiness in his heart. Slowly, he closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her back and held her close to him. He could not understand how someone could feel this way about him.

It was a few minuets later when Akitsu pulled back, and expression of pure bliss on her face. She wasn't the only one. Roxas was dazed with the amount of emotion he felt, not only through the bond, but from his own heart as well. He didn't even consider that a nobody could feel this way.

However, any doubt he may have had about Akitsu simply vanished from his mind. Without even saying a word, Akitsu had told him how she felt, and what a statement it was.

"Ah…" Akitsu said as she looked down at her Ashikabi, her arms resting on his shoulders. "No matter what you tell me Roxas, I am still your Sekirei. You are the person I reacted too, the person I was meant to be with. The bond is more than just a way to feel each other's emotions, its everything that we are as Sekirei."

Roxas stared up at this beautiful woman, still at a loss for words.

"Roxas." Akitsu said as she cupped his chin, bringing her face close to his again. "I love you."

Roxas's heart was hammering against his chest again. There was no deception in her voice, nothing but the pure and honest truth. If Akitsu could be this honest with him, then why couldn't he do the same for her?

"I…" Roxas paused. How could he even reciprocate those kinds of feelings towards this woman? Was a Nobody even capable of that level of emotion? Could he say those words with the same amount of conviction?

"I don't know what to say Akitsu." Roxas said, feeling really guilty. Currently, no, he was not at that level.

Not yet at least.

"You don't have to say anything." Akitsu said as she rested a hand on his heart. She pressed her body against his again. "I can feel it. When you are ready Roxas, I will still be here."

"Thank you, Akitsu. I wont make you wait long, I promise." He said as he held her close.

* * *

 **Authors Note: There you have it. Another chapter down for you all. I am having a lot of fun with this story so far, and I have a very good idea of where it could go and how other characters in the KH universe can play a part.**

 **Akitsu and Roxas's relationship will continue to steadily grow. I don't like rushing things, so I ask for patience please.**

 **You know, after reading this last part, yes, there is a lot of cheese, but this is a romance fan fiction. There will be action, don't worry, but if Romance is not your thing, this is probably not the Fan fiction for you.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed and if you do, please leave me a review.**

 **Until then!**


	5. Chapter 5: Strength to help others

**Authors Note: Thanks for the comments on the last chapter. I am glad that you guys like where this story is going. Now I got a few comments about Uzume and Chiho. I will be honest with you, I have a plan that I executed this chapter…but I feel that a lot of you may not like it. Sorry, but it was not on a whim because I had planned it a long time ago. Sorry if you don't like it, but what I did this chapter is going to stay.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

 **Warning: Spelling and grammar will be present because I don't have a beta. I apologize for it, but this is something I do in my free time. I will try my best to find them all, but I am not perfect.**

* * *

Unbound

Chapter 5

Homura was never one to believe in coincidences, but the fact that Roxas was in Izumo Inn the day after Matsu had pulled up his profile, Homura had to consider the possibilities. He had watched the whole dinner scene through one of Matsu's cameras while the perverted woman munched on her own dinner behind him.

"He is a cutie." Matsu said, her mouth full of seasoned fish.

Homura didn't comment as he looked between Roxas and Akitsu a few times. "He is young. Should he really be allowed to participate in this game?"

"I don't think Minaka really cares about that." Matsu responded as she set her plate aside and crawled over to Homura. "Anyone who wings a Sekirei, be they young or old is forced to participate."

"Hmm" Homura hummed as he turned away from the monitor. "Well, he seems like a nice enough kid. But I would love to know how he winged Akitsu."

"Beats me." Matsu said as gave a small giggle. "They are adorable though. The moment my camera's caught Roxas and Akitsu walk through the front door, I have been watching them."

"Do you realize how creepy you sound?"

Matsu ignored him. "The way that Roxas and Akitsu interact is just adorable. Its almost like both of them are new to a relationship." She gushed, hugging herself as a perverted smile crossed her face. "Too bad they aren't new tenants here. I could have taught them a thing or two."

Homura grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just drop it for now. Did you happen to hack into the MBI satellites?"

Matsu paused for a moment as she nodded. She gently pushed Homura aside so she could reach the keyboard. "Homura, I don't think I would have believed you had I not seen it myself. I…I really don't know what to make of this, but…" She paused as she hit enter on the keyboard.

Instantly, a playback of one of MBI satellites popped up on the screen. It was of Musubi and the lightning twins. They were just about to strike her with a bolt of electricity when a dome of light protected her.

Homura's eyes widened as Matsu paused it in mid frame. He looked closer to see that a person appeared in front of Musubi with his hand extended. The lightning seemed to curl around the dome that protected them. The person was shrouded with a black coat with a large hood that shadowed his face from view.

Matsu pushed up her glasses. "I have not seen a Sekirei with this power before. There are no records in the MBI database."

Homura bit his lower lip, clearly concerned with this new bit of information.

Matsu hit the play button, allowing the whole scene to unfold. They watched as Musubi escaped and the cloaked figure fighting with Hikari and Hibiki. Finally, they watched, as he seemed to disappear before reappearing behind the twins, catching them by surprise and landing a couple blows. Whoever this person was, he had a great deal of battle experience.

"What is he?" Homura said as he watched his own entrance to the fight. The clip finally finished with Hikari and Hibiki fleeing the scene, leaving Homura and the figure alone on the rooftop. Homura's back was turned to the person. However, what got their attention was what the person did next. A black pillar erupted from the ground, completely consuming the shrouded man. A second later, the pillar was gone along with the person, leaving a confused Homura on the roof, alone.

"What was that?" Homura asked.

Matsu adjusted her glasses again. "I don't know. The ability to teleport like that would have been under very close watch from MBI. If he were a Sekirei, I don't even think they would have let him out."

"So what are you suggesting?" Homura asked.

Matsu shrugged. "Well, it could either be an experiment with Sekirei DNA…" Matsu started, causing Homura to roll his eyes. However, Matsu's eye became serious. "Or maybe he's not a Sekirei at all."

"What are you suggesting?"

"I don't know what else to think. Do you think a human could be capable of this?"

Homura paused. "Not that I know of." He said as he stroked his chin. "Keep an eye on the satellites to see if anything else comes up. I have someone else I need to talk to."

"Oh I will. This is very interesting." Matsu said, rubbing her hands together in excitement.

* * *

The next few days were a complete and utter nightmare for both Roxas and Seo. What Roxas didn't know when he hired the man was that he already had two companies he was working for. One of them was his own Jack-of-all-Trades job, and the other one was at the local construction site. However, since his own ridiculous company didn't bring home the bacon, he was forced to work the second job. The main reason he wanted Roxas to hire him was because he said construction wasn't really his style. But what Roxas really heard was "I'm too lazy to work at a construction site and would rather work at the Inn." Of course, Seo would need a few more days so he could turn in his notice before the construction site could officially let him go.

Roxas nearly laughed though, thinking that Seo would be in for a rude awakening when he would see the apartments that needed cleaning and maintenance. Seo's off day at the construction site was his first official day working for the Inn. And considering it was his first day, Roxas made sure Seo got the full treatment.

As soon as he opened the first room for Seo to clean, it was like he opened the gates of hell. Literally, a gust of nasty, green air nearly spewed from the room when he opened the door. Inside was completely thrashed. Moldy food in the refrigerator, cigarette butts and all kings of trash on the floors, smears of god knows what on the walls, and loads of beer cans and liquor bottle thrown everywhere.

For the life of him, Roxas could not understand how people could live in this kind of mess. It's like every time they threw one of their parties, they just left everything instead of cleaning it up. If he had learned one thing after living here for over a year, it was that he preferred a clean and organized apartment over a messy one. Sure he may have had a few articles of clothing on the floor every once in a while, but this was just madness.

Seo nearly fainted at the sight of the first apartment, almost regretting taking the deal Roxas offered him. His first initial reaction was turning to his Sekirei and begging for there help. However, as soon as Hibiki and Hikari saw the apartment, they pieced the scene, saying that they had there own job to get too. Roxas swore he never seen anyone move quite that fast as he watched the twins speed down the road.

Now, it may have been Seo job to clean the apartments and do maintenance, but Roxas was not that heartless to make him do it alone. He was the owner after all. He had to start pulling his weight. Seo nearly cried in joy when Roxas said he would lend a hand. Of course, Akitsu also offered her assistance as well when she learned Roxas was going to help clean.

It was the middle of another day and Roxas could be found sitting on his front porch, completely exhausted after cleaning another apartment. He felt like the skin was falling off his fingers from the amount of chemicals he used the past few days. All in all, he, Seo, and Akitsu had knocked out a few apartments, making them spotless after the disasters they use to be.

Akitsu was lying down next to him, using his leg as a pillow. She had her eyes closed and was breathing softly, completely asleep. She was wearing some work cloths that consisted of a tight white shirt and a pair of light blue shorts. Her shirt had a few dirt stains on it from cleaning. She was clearly exhausted from the amount of work they had done the past couple of days.

Sitting on his other side, Seo was leaning back, propping his body up with his arms, a cigarette in his mouth. He had his eyes closed too, but was breathing out a steady stream of smoke.

"This is…awful." Seo said as he removed the cigarette from his mouth. "I may be lazy and a bit dirty as well, but I would never let it get that bad."

"You sure it's not because Hikari and Hibiki don't let you?" Roxas chuckled.

Seo chucked as well. "Mouthy brat."

"Lazy bum."

"You can't call me lazy after what you put me through the past few days." Seo retorted as he stood from his spot and stretched his arms to the sky. "And I'm not even done yet."

"Oh yeah." Roxas commented. "You are working the later shift at the construction site again?"

"Yep. Those bastard employers are working me to death when they learned I turned in my noticed." Seo responded as he took another drag of smoke. "I got a couple days left before I can kiss that place goodbye. It was good for a while, but it's not for me."

"And this is better?" Roxas responded, his eyebrow rose.

"Well no…But after these apartments are cleaned, it will be smooth sailing. All I will have to worry about is maintenance, and that is a piece of cake for me."

"I can't argue there."

"I am scheduled to work tomorrow morning at the construction sight. I hope you don't mind." Seo said.

Roxas gave him a flat look. "Well…I guess not. But the apartments will be waiting for you when you get back. Akitsu and I will get started, but don't expect me to do them all. It's still your job." Roxas said as he glanced down at Akitsu, gently feathering his fingers through her hair.

Seo glanced over at Roxas and Akitsu, a small smile on his face. "You're damn lucky. Wish my Sekirei were like Akitsu. All they seem to do nowadays is blast me with lightning."

Roxas thought back to when he showed Seo the first apartment that needed to be cleaned. He remembered Seo begging his Sekirei for help…but in a rather unusual way. He groped Hikari's breast and grabbed Hibiki's butt. Hibiki was embarrassed, but Hikari was outraged. The result was Seo being stuck with a bolt of lightning before both of them took off to there own jobs.

"You kind of have it coming." Roxas concluded.

Seo slumped a bit in defeat. "Well anyway, I got to go. If there is one thing I am looking forward too, it's the paycheck when I'm done. I could use the extra cash since this job only pays the rent."

"And the electricity, and the water, and the WIFI…"

"Alright, I get it." Seo grumbled. "By the way, did you see the overgrowth in the botanical gardens recently?"

"Caught a glimpse of it on the news. Why?" Roxas asked.

"Nothing, just asking." Seo responded as he started to walk away.

Looking up in the sky, Roxas noticed it was still around noonday. The sun was directly over him, baking his body with an intense heat. Glancing down at Akitsu again, he thought about waking her up, but the peaceful look on her face was just too adorable. He could not bring himself to do it. Gently, he removed his leg from under her head as he quietly maneuvered to her side. Very carefully, he picked her up off the porch bridal style and carried her into the house.

Akitsu stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. She unconsciously snuggled into his chest a bit, causing Roxas to blush, but he walked her over to the couch and gently set her down. She had worked hard today and deserved some rest. He was exhausted too, but not the point where he wanted to sleep. In fact, there was something else that he wanted to do right now.

Carefully, he stood up and retreated to his room, going over to the closet and taking out his backpack and his signature Organization 13 coat. Throwing it over his shoulders, he walked back to the living room and over to Akitsu, who was still sleeping on the couch. He gently brush a few stands of hair out of her eyes, revealing an unmarked forehead.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," he whispered as he stood up and walked out the front door. Once he was completely out of sight from anyone, he opened the corridor of darkness and walked through.

* * *

It was a very quiet day at the cemetery because usually, people would visit later in the evening to avoid the heat of the sun. Behind an old tomb, the corridor of darkness appeared, revealing Roxas with a fresh bouquet of flowers in one hand and a bar of ice cream in the other. Quickly, he took glanced around to make sure no one saw him before he took off the coat and stuffed it into his backpack. Walking out from behind the tomb, he cast his gaze over the field of gravestones. There were many people buried in this cemetery, but he was looking for one in particular.

Walking through the cemetery, Roxas eventually found the headstone he was looking for.

Nozomi.

He stood in front of the grave for a few second before he gently laid the flowers on the site. He then sat down next to the headstone as he took out a bar of ice cream.

"Nozomi, I got my first new Tenant." Roxas whispered as he took a bite. "He is a lazy bastard, but he will help the inn out a lot. I actually kicked out all of our other tenants and you would not believe what they left behind. I swear, if you knew what was in their apartment, you might have kicked them out a long time ago."

Pausing a bit, he took another bite of ice cream. "Akitsu is doing fine. Sorry she couldn't make it. I didn't have the heart to wake her up and make her travel here. She had been working hard and deserves the rest."

Roxas was glad he was one of the few people here because people would have thought he was crazy with the way he was talking to himself. He didn't care though. Talking like this helped him feel like Nozomi was still there in spirit at least.

Roxas finished off his ice cream before the hot sun could melt it. This was the first time he had visited Nozomi's grave since she had passed. It was nice to see it again and as the days passed, it hurt less knowing that Nozomi was gone. He stood up and gently brushed off his pants before he started walking through the cemetery, back in the direction of the large tomb.

As he passed the tombstones, he was about to walk behind someone else who, he could only assume, was here for the same reason he was. Usually, he wouldn't have cared who it was, but there was something familiar about this person. Where had he seen that pink shirt, Capri pants, and the ponytail on the side of her head…

Roxas stopped when he recognized her.

Uzume.

What was she doing here?

Roxas paused, scoffing at his stupid thought. Why else would she be at a cemetery? He quietly tried to walk past her without making his presents known.

 _Sniff_

Roxas stopped right behind her when he heard a small snuffle come from Uzume. Now, he may not have known the girl that well, but based of their first encounter, she seemed like the kind person that would never get upset. Her infectiously happy and teasing attitude was extremely apparent in their first meeting.

So why was she standing there, crying? And what was he supposed to do about it? Usually, people wanted to be alone when they are at a cemetery.

However.

He remembered Nozomi, and when she asked him to accompany her that one time to the cemetery. He remembered how much the older woman appreciated him just being there and how much she needed it.

Glancing over at Uzume again, he wondered if this might be the same kind of scenario. It was clear that she was mourning someone. Why else would she be at a cemetery? And even if she were mourning someone, would he really be any help? Should he even bother?

 _Go comfort her._

He was very hesitant, but just like his past experience with Nozomi, he decided to follow his heart.

* * *

Uzume was currently standing in front of a gravesite, an empty look on her eyes as she stared at the tombstone. She had tears trailing down her cheeks, but her soul felt empty. She felt shattered, completely broken on the inside as she looked down at the grave. Sure she put on a mask for everyone at Izumo Inn, but that was all it was.

A Mask.

She tried to act the way she used to before…the death, hoping that one day she would be able to cope with it, but sadly it had not happened yet.

"Fake it till you make it." Uzume whispered to herself as she sniffed. "Whoever thought that would work is a complete moron."

"Um…Uzume?"

Uzume's eyes widened as she heard the sound of grass shuffling behind her and a voice over her shoulder. She quickly turned around. Standing there was the boy from a couple days ago. The spikey blond hair was easy to distinguish. Immediately, she clenched her eyes shut, trying to mask the way she felt. Soon, her empty look was partially replaced with one of playfulness.

"Roxas! W-What are you doing here? You wouldn't be stocking little ol' me now would you?" She asked, winking at him.

Roxas gave her a flat look. "Nozomi is buried over there." Roxas thumbed over his shoulder. "I assume you are here for the same reason I am."

"O-Oh." Uzume stuttered as she bit her lower lip.

"You ok?"

"Of course I'm ok. Why wouldn't I be?"

Roxas swore this was a serious case of Deja-vo. Those were the exact words Nozomi told him when he caught her mourning her husband and son. Heck, even the fake smile was nearly the same. Uzume also still had tear streaks on her cheeks. If Roxas hadn't known better, he would have thought Nozomi was Uzume's mother or something with the amount of similar mannerisms they both had. He was half tempted to say he caught her crying as well, but decided with a different approach.

"Well, you're here in a cemetery, standing in front of a tombstone. I could only assume it was because someone is buried here that you care about." Roxas said bluntly. He thought about his choice of words, realizing that it was a bit tactless. He really needed to work on that.

Uzume was taken aback a bit by his abrasiveness. Usually a person would be sensitive enough not to ask why someone else was at a cemetery.

"Its none of your business." Uzume whispered, all playfulness gone from her voice. She turned back to the tombstone in front of her, completely ignoring his presents now.

Roxas stared at her back, not really surprised by her words. He could tell that she had faked her initial greeting because he caught her with her mask completely off. It took time to mask emotions like that. He knew because that's essentially what Nobodies did. Slowly, he walked up beside her and glanced down at the tombstone.

"Chiho Hidaka." Roxas read.

Uzume clenched her teeth in anger and frustration. "You're seriously overstepping your bounds. Can't you take the hint that I want to be alone right now?"

"No I cant." Roxas said flatly. "Never have been good about having tact. Nozomi would always tell me that." He said as he looked over at her. "The only thing I do know is from what I have experienced. And what I have experienced is when people mourn the loss of someone they care about, deep down they wish someone was there for them…Even if they don't realize they want it."

Uzume paused as she glanced over at the boy, who was again looking down at the grave. She didn't say anything, but he had her attention now.

"A while back, I accidently walked in on Nozomi when she was mourning the loss of her husband and son." Roxas started. "She was just like you, trying to mask her emotions because she didn't want to share it with anyone. But eventually she told me what happened, and she was able to…fully mourn their death. She later told me that she was grateful I was there. I didn't really understand what she meant until Nozomi passed away right in front of me."

Uzume stared at him as he continued to talk.

"When I lost Nozomi, the only reason I didn't completely loose it was because of Akitsu. I didn't know it myself, but what I really wanted was someone there for me. She helped me get over her death. I don't know why, but when you open up to someone, your burden becomes lighter."

When Uzume heard him finish, she shook her head. "And who do you expect me to share my burden with? You? I don't even know you that well."

"No, it doesn't have to be me. But you have a very nice landlady and fellow inn tenants that seems to care about you quite a lot. Haven't you ever tried to talk to them?"

"I don't need their pity Roxas. I don't need yours either" Uzume responded.

"Its not about pity. It's about overcoming the emptiness that comes from loosing someone. Because trust me, you cant do it alone." Roxas said as he thought back on all he had lost in the past. He knew the emptiness that loss created. It was only until recently, when Akitsu came into his life, that the emptiness started to fill.

Uzume felt a lump in her throat. She wanted to believe Roxas's words, but even talking about it was extremely painful. She didn't want to bring those memories up, so she locked them inside herself, where they continued to eat her alive.

Maybe…just maybe letting them out will give place for something else besides sadness and despair. She turned her gaze back to the tombstone.

"I-I guess I can tell you because you are already part of the plan. But I'm a Sekirei Roxas." Uzume started.

Roxas's eyes widened as he looked over at her. He didn't expect that at all…

Well…

Actually it wasn't that much of a surprise considering how many Sekirei appeared at Izumo Inn.

"The person who is buried here, she was the one I reacted to."

Roxas looked between the grave and Uzume a few times, still trying to wrap his mind around what he just learned.

"She was your Ashikabi?"

Uzume bit her lower lip as she felt the tears start to build up in her eyes. "Well…No. If she were, I wouldn't be here right now. I met her in the hospital a little while ago. She had a fatal and incurable illness. When I reacted to her, I told her about the Sekirei and asked if she would be my Ashikabi."

Roxas watched as tears started to freely fall down her cheeks. This situation was so similar to Nozomi's that is wasn't even funny. It was sad to see Uzume break down like this.

"She asked what would happen to the Sekirei if the Ashikabi dies, and I told her. A Sekirei will deactivate if there Ashikabi dies…and you know what she said?" Uzume asked, turning her attention to Roxas.

Roxas stared right back at Uzume as he shook his head. He stored that piece of information away for later about Sekirei and there Ashikabi.

"She refused to wing me. She said she knew she didn't have much time left and she didn't want me to die along with her. She was on treatment, but the illness was too much for her. Eventually, she succumbed to it and…passed away." Uzume finished as she clenched her eyes closed. She slowly crouched down, kneeling on the grass, her hands clenched into fists. "I would have rather died with her than loose the one I reacted to…the one I loved. Do you understand how much this hurts, especially for a Sekirei?"

Roxas was a loss for words. He didn't know what to say to this woman, just like he didn't know what to say to Nozomi. However, what he did last time helped, so just maybe.

Kneeling down next to her, Roxas gently placed a hand on her back in a small attempt to comfort him.

The reaction was one he didn't expect.

Uzume slapped his hand away and grabbed the front of his shirt. She looked up at him, a very fierce look in her eyes and her teeth clenched.

"You know what the bond is like! You know how deep it runs and what it means for us as Sekirei!" she screamed. "Can you even imagine how much it kills us to watch the one we react to die? How she suffered in the hospital for days, waiting in agony for the pain to end? I could only visit and watch as she would cry out in pain. I could only hold her hand, trying to comfort her any way I could through the torturous nights. But it all amounted to nothing!" she cried, shaking him a few times.

"You don't know what it's like! You don't understand and you never will!" she sobbed finally as she drooped her head, pressing it to his chest, her fists still clenching his shirt.

She was right. She was completely right. Roxas didn't know what it was like for that to happen. When Nozomi passed away, at least it was quick and somewhat painless. He didn't have to watch her suffer like Uzume did to the one she loved.

And even the thought of him loosing the bond he had with Akitsu, that was terrifying.

Slowly, he reached up and rested one of his hands on her back and the other on the back of her head. There was nothing he could say in this situation.

But…

Maybe that was for the best.

* * *

It took a while for Uzume to get a grip of herself. She had knelt there, gripping Roxas's shirt while she unloaded the vast amount of sorrow she kept bottled up since the death of her Chiho. She could not believe that she lost it in front of someone who was nearly a complete stranger. Why did she tell him all that anyway? Was it just his willingness to listen? Was it because he was the first person who offered to share her burden?

Or was it something else entirely?

Slowly, she looked up, her eyes red and her nose running. Roxas was still kneeling beside her. There was no look of disapproval in his eyes, or even pity. He was simply there to listen to her. Just a shoulder to lean on, nothing more, nothing less. And that was just what she needed at that moment.

"Here" Roxas said as he handed over a handkerchief.

Uzume blushed in embarrassment as she took it from him and turned away. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose, trying to save any dignity she had left. "Thanks." She murmured.

"Keep it." Roxas responded as he stood up, glancing down at the gravestone. "You know, I once asked Nozomi if it was really worth it to love someone if the pain was this great when they were gone."

Uzume looked over her shoulder at Roxas as he talked.

"She said that she wouldn't give up the time they had together for anything. That love brings you the greatest happiness, but it also brings the greatest sorrow. And that experiencing those things are what help us grow as people. They make us stronger." He said as he looked over at her, extending his hand. "I think that when we go through those things, we have the strength to help others who go through them as well."

Uzume stared at Roxas's extended hand before she looked up into his piercing blue eyes. She bit her lower lip as she grasped his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. She didn't have any words to share, just stunned by what he was saying.

"You might be right." Uzume said as she stared down at Chiho's grave. "Does it ever stop hurting?"

"Eventually. But it's easier when you have people to rely on. It's those people that help fill the emptiness that lingers." Roxas said. "You have an entire inn that cares for you. Try talking to them every once in a while." He finished as he looked up at the sky. He had been here longer that he planned. "I better get home. Akitsu might be wondering where I am."

"Yeah, you better get back then." Uzume said as she gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it." Roxas said. "It's what friends are for."

Uzume grinned a little as she threw her arm over his shoulder, brushing her chest against his cheek. "Awe, were friends now? Aren't you moving a little fast? You might want to be careful. You wouldn't be trying to woo this innocent maidens heart now would you."

Roxas looked at her flatly. "You are so much like Nozomi it's not even funny." He said as he shrugged her arm off. "I will see you later."

Uzume watched as Roxas walked off into the distance, her emotions a complete mess. She was still trying to calm herself down after the complete emotional breakdown. Then she had to deal with the fact that she opened up to a nearly complete stranger. And lastly, she had to deal with her heart beating so fast…

Why was her heart beating like this? The last time that happened was when…

Uzume's eyes widened as she watched Roxas disappear behind a nearby tomb. She felt a blush form on her cheeks as she thought about him.

"That's not possible." She whispered before she rushed after him. "Roxas, hold on!" She rounded the tomb. "I have to ask you someth…"

He was gone.

She blinked a few times, completely confused. "What the hell? Where did he go?"

* * *

Roxas appeared in down town Shinto, around a nearby convenience stood that sold his favorite ice cream. He decided to buy a few bars for himself and Akitsu, to thank her for all her hard work. He had not been gone that long, so she might still asleep. But just in case she was awake, they both needed something else to cool off with. Even though Roxas already had one bar of ice cream today, he was not apposed to more.

It didn't take long before he found himself back at Nozomi Inn. He was glad they got at least a couple of the apartments clean, but they had a long way to go before he was ready to start renting out leases. The apartments were just way to filthy for anyone to live in. Why Nozomi didn't kick them out, Roxas would never know. The only upside is that he still had the old tenants deposits, meaning that he could use there funs to repair the damage made.

Walking back to the house with the bag in his hand, he walked to the front door before opening it. He walked down the quiet hallway before he reached the living room. At least Nozomi knew how to keep this place clean.

He spotted Akitsu awake now, sitting on the couch patiently. Giving a small grin, he silently pulled a wrapped bar of ice cream out of the box as he snuck up behind his Sekirei. Gently, he placed the cold package against her cheek, causing her to flinch away from the sudden cold.

"Hey Akitsu, Good morning." He said with a grin.

Akitsu paused as she stared over at her Ashikabi, a small smile on her face. "Ah…its still the same day." She said as she took the ice cream from his hand.

"True." Roxas responded as he took a bar of ice cream for himself. He leaned over the couch, resting his forearms on the back as he took a bite.

"How long was I asleep?" Akitsu asked, unwrapping her ice cream as well. "You were gone when I woke up."

"Sorry." Roxas responded. "I didn't want to wake you. I just went to visit Nozomi's grave. So, you weren't asleep that long."

"Ah…I see."

Roxas took another bite of his ice cream, not going into details about Uzume. It wasn't really his place to blab about her personal life, even if it was to his Sekirei.

"Delicious." Akitsu commented as she took another bite.

"Yeah, especially on this hot day." Roxas said as he glanced down at the blue ice cream. "You know, this isn't really filling." He said as he waved his ice cream around. "You want to go out and get something to eat?"

Akitsu took another bite as she glanced at him, a small blush on her face. "That would be nice."

Roxas nodded as he finished off the ice cream. He was about to push off the couch, but he felt something warm against his cheek. He pulled away just to see Akitsu's face inches from his own. His cheeks grew warm as he noticed the very small playful smile on her usually stoic face.

"Ah…Now we're even."

Roxas gave a small smile as he pushed away from the couch. "Nah, with everything you've done for me, I don't think its possible." He whispered to himself, but just loud enough for Akitsu to hear. "Lets get cleaned up and changed."

"Ok."

* * *

It was a few moments later that Roxas and Akitsu were heading to a nearby restaurant. Roxas was in his casual cloths while Akitsu chose to ware her regular attire that consisted of the white Kimono with the chains. Naturally, she attracted a lot of attention, especially from the male population.

It irked Roxas greatly to see the other men ogling his Sekirei though. He wished she could cover up just a little more to keep them from staring. Of course, this thought process was followed up by Roxas asking himself why he was annoyed in the first place. For some reason, he just didn't like that other people had their eyes on Akitsu.

Roxas and Akitsu didn't say much as they walked to the restaurant, simply enjoying each other's company. On the way there, Akitsu had noticed that there were a lot of couples walking around at this time in the evening. She also noticed that most were either holding hands, or had their arms intertwined. She glanced over at Roxas, who didn't seem to notice.

With a small blush on her cheeks, she reached over and grasped his hand, testing the waters to see if he would react. Much to her pleasure, she felt his hand grasp hers, his face turning a bit red as well.

Roxas couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of Akitsu's hand in his own. Never did he think that he would have this kind of relationship with a woman. Sure he had seen it on movies and television, but he never understood what it was like, nor could he understand that kind of attraction towards another person. But now here he was, walking down the street with a beautiful woman at his side and her hand in his. He was amazed at how far he had come in the short time they had known each other.

Talking the long way, Roxas decided to take Akitsu past the botanical gardens so they could get a better look at the sudden overgrowth that Seo had mentioned. When they arrived, Roxas had to admit that Seo was right. The place was so overgrown with huge plants that it was almost suspicious. How in the world did plants grow that fast anyway?

* * *

It was a nice dinner later that Akitsu and Roxas were walking back to the apartment. By this time, the sun was already gone behind the horizon; the only bit of light left was the fiery glow that spread across the darkening sky.

Looking up, Roxas could only reminisce of the times he had seen that fiery glow before when he sat on top of twilight tower with Axel, eating sea salt ice cream. Really, he wished Axel had the opportunity to enjoy existence along side him. It wasn't really fair that Roxas was given that chance, but not Axel. Thinking about his long lost friend, Roxas could help but feel a small twang of pain in his heart.

Akitsu glanced over at Roxas, catching the brief glimpse of sadness that passed through him. Gently, she reached over and grasped his arm.

"Ah…are you ok?" She asked. "Was something wrong at dinner?"

Roxas glanced over at his Sekirei before shaking his head. "No, tonight was wonderful. It's just…" he paused as he looked up at the fiery sky. "Nostalgic, looking up at the sky like this. I reminded me of a friend I used to have a long time age."

"A friend?" Akitsu asked, getting very interested in the subject. She knew so little about her Ashikabi that any time he would reveal a part of his past, she was all ears.

"Yeah. His name was Axel. We were…as we wanted to call it…best friends. Each day, we would sit on the side of twilight tower and watch the sunset."

"Twilight tower?"

"Oh." Roxas chuckled, knowing that twilight tower didn't exist in this world. "It was just a building where I came from. Point is, I kind of wish he were here sometimes. I wish he got the same chance as I did."

"Ah…" Akitsu paused. "Was he like you? Was he so…empty?"

Roxas nodded. "He was. We were similar in that regard. Both of us didn't comprehend the concept of friendship, but I think we were as close to it as we could get. Simply enjoying each other's company, laughing at ridiculous jokes and encounters we had that day. Talking about our missions and what went wrong with them. I think if it were possible to have friendships between people like us, Axel and I achieved that."

Akitsu kept silent, keeping the whole "Missions" part sored away in her memory for later. "It sounds like you miss him."

"I…guess I do." Roxas admitted. He was about to say something else, but his phone started vibrating in his pocket. Raising his eyebrow, he fished it out and looked at the screen. He had a new text from…

"MBI." Roxas growled as he looked over at Akitsu. "Lets continue this later."

Akitsu nodded as she looked at the screen as well.

Roxas opened the text on his phone.

 _From the president. There is an un-winged Sekirei at the arboretum. First one there wins. It could be you who makes the green girl emerge._

Roxas and Akitsu stared at the message from Minaka. Roxas read it a few times as his fist slowly curled around his phone in anger.

"You can't be serious." Roxas growled. "You mean to tell me that he texted me just to tell me that there is an un-winged Sekirei? What does he expect me to do? Go and wing her? I already have a Sekirei."

Akitsu glanced between Roxas and the phone a few times, glad Roxas felt that way. She knew her Ashikabi didn't like the fact that Sekirei could be forcefully winged, and was glad he would never do that. But…

"Ah…it's possible for a Ashikabi to wing multiple Sekirei."

Roxas paused as he looked over at her. "Well…I guess I knew that because Seo had two Sekirei, but why would Minaka text me about this? I haven't even met this…" Roxas glanced at the text again. "Green girl, so how would I know if she would react or not."

"I…don't think Minaka texted just you. I think he texted every Ashikabi in the game. He said whoever gets their first wins."

Roxas felt disgusted. "Is this some kind of sick joke? Does he even care if the Sekirei get winged by the one they react to?"

"He doesn't" Akitsu said. "When I was winged preterm, he didn't care and would have discarded me had I not ran away." She said sadly.

Roxas grit his teeth in frustration. "This is so messed up. So all the Ashikabi are going to try and wing her, even though she's not reacting to them.

Akitsu simply nodded.

Shaking his head, Roxas jammed the phone in his pocket and started to walk away, Akitsu following right behind him. Roxas's had multiple thoughts passing through his head. On one hand, he could not stand the thought of a Sekirei being forcefully winged by an Ashikabi, but what could he do about it? Sure, he and Akitsu could rush the gardens, but what about the other Ashikabi? And also, if they were attacked, he would not be able to stop himself from fighting if Akitsu got into trouble.

Then she would know about him. He didn't know if he was ready to tell her about himself just yet.

Akitsu could feel her Ashikabi's worries and fears, but she didn't know exactly what he feared.

Not much else was said between Roxas and Akitsu as they finally returned to the house near Nozomi Inn.

Sitting down on the couch, Roxas thought about what he wanted to do about his new situation. Akitsu took a seat next to him, not really sure what to say to him at the moment.

"Akitsu, what do you think?" Roxas asked.

Akitsu paused for a few moments. "What do you mean?"

"I…I don't like the thought that this is a race to see if someone can wing a Sekirei. What about the one she reacts too? How will he know if she is reacting to him? What if he doesn't even know where she is?"

"I…I can't answer that." Akitsu responded. "I was never supposed to be winged, so I don't know how a Sekirei will reach out to the Ashikabi they react to."

"I guess that makes sense," Roxas said as he rested his chin on his intertwined fingers. "But what should we do? I mean…should we go?"

"I…I will do whatever you want to do?" Akitsu said quietly, a solemn look crossing her face.

Roxas glanced over at her, feeling her spirits drop just a bit. He raised an eyebrow as he reached over and rested a hand on her arm. "Are you ok?"

"Ah…" Akitsu paused. "Yes, I'm fine."

"No your not, what's wrong?"

Akitsu bit her lower lip slightly. "If there is a chance she reacts to you, I will not stop you from winging her, but…"

"But?"

"I just have to accept that you may get more Sekirei in the future. It is uncommon, but it is possible that more that one Sekirei will react to you. I will just…miss the time we get to spend together like this, just the two of us."

Roxas realized what she was getting at. Truthfully, he didn't think about that. He had to remember that when a Sekirei reacted to someone, it was like a declaration of love. But would that be fair to Akitsu if he winged another Sekirei?

"I see what your saying." Roxas said. "I won't wing another Sekirei if that is what your worried about."

Akitsu paused as she looked over at Roxas, her eyes widening a little. Quickly, she shook her head. "No, if a Sekirei is reacting to you, you need to wing them."

Roxas stared at her. "W-Why? I mean, can't she react to more than one person? Why does it need to be me?"

"Ah…you would rather risk her being winged forcefully by someone else?"

"I didn't say that."

"Roxas…" Akitsu paused as she looked over at him. She suddenly shifted, maneuvered herself so she was on his lap, her arms resting on his shoulders again. "I know what its like to be forcefully winged, even if it was to myself. It's a fate I would not wish on anyone. Even if it mean I have to share my Ashikabi, I would rather do than watch as one of my sisters receive the same fate I did." She said, as she looked him straight in the eyes.

Roxas felt a little guilty now. He remembered the hopeless and empty look in Akitsu's eyes when he first met her. The fact that she would never be with her Ashikabi always on her mind, giving her the impression that her very existence was for nothing. Could he really do that to another person, especially if they reacted to him?

"Well…I guess your right." Roxas said as he wrapped his arm around her back. "But you will always be my first Sekirei."

"Ah…" Akitsu paused, a blush on her cheeks. "Thank you Roxas." She said as she lowered herself, pressing her lips against his. The bright wings erupted from her back, lighting up the entire living room with its radiant glow. She wrapped her arms around his neck again, holding his head in place as he deepened the kiss. Roxas kept his arms wrapped around her back, pulling their bodies as close together as possible.

"Holy shit."

Immediately, the atmosphere was shattered by the sudden voice. Roxas and Akitsu broke away before turning to the voice. Immediately, there faces flared up a bright red as they realized who was standing there.

Seo and his Sekirei had just let themselves into his house. Seo was nearly drooling at the sight of Akitsu straddling Roxas's hips, her arms around his neck and her kimono top nearly falling off, showing a large amount of breast.

Hikari and Hibiki's faces were also beat read in embarrassment, staring at them almost in disbelief.

There was a very awkward silence for a long time before crocodile tears started running down Seo's face. He turned to Hikari and Hibiki. "Why can't you two be more like Akits…"

"You finish that sentence, and you will be sleeping on the couch for the next week." Hikari growled.

Akitsu jumped off Roxas and Roxas jumped to his feet, both of their faces still beat read from embarrassment.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Roxas growled.

"Well…" Seo stared, a teasing grin on his face. "Based on what I have seen, I might have to in the future. I never now what I might walk in on next. I mean next time, you might be popping the cherry, if you know what I'm saying."

Roxas and Akitsu's face could not have gotten redder. Steam was literally coming off of Roxas's head and Akitsu's eyes were swirling at the thoughts.

"Sh-Shut up! What do you want?" Roxas barked.

All playfulness left Seo's face as he pulled out his phone and opened it. He turned it to Roxas, who saw the same text on the screen as the one he got.

Roxas immediately got serious as well. "So Akitsu was right. All the Ashikabi got that text."

"Yep, and it's a shame too. The green girl is number 108, Kusano. She is only a kid, much younger than you actually. If I remember correctly, she might be about 9 or 10 years old right about now." Seo said as he looked at the text on his own phone.

Roxas's eye widened. "Your serious? They are letting a child play this game as well?"

"She's a Sekirei. So Minaka does not care how young she is, or even if she is forcefully winged to an abusive Ashikabi. He made it a race to make this game more interesting and fun."

"Minaka has a warped sense of fun." Roxas responded, his teeth grinding together.

"I agree with you there. But I'm guessing that the Ashikabi around here are going to go straight for her pretty soon." Seo said as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it, not even caring that he was in Roxas's house. "So what are you going to do?"

Roxas pursed his lips together. "I don't know. How would I know if she is reacting to me or not?"

"Trust me, when a Sekirei is reacting to someone, they will find a way to reach out to them. If the green girl reacted to you, you would know it." Seo said as he breathed out a breath of smoke. "Based on your question, I'm guessing that your not the one she is reacting to."

"Hmm" Roxas hummed. "But just the thought that she would be forcefully winged…I want to help her somehow."

Seo grinned a little as Roxas's words. He lowered his cigarette. "You're a good kid Roxas. I was worried that you might be one to wing as many Sekirei as you can, if they react to you or not, but I was wrong to believe that."

Roxas frowned, but brushed it off for now. "So what should we do? Should we head over now?"

Seo shook his head. "No. There is another Sekirei who tasked himself to protecting un-winged Sekirei. He will guard over her tonight from the weaker Ashikabi. The big boys know that the competition will be thinned out tomorrow. That's when we should go because those Ashikabi will be able to take out the guardian. Hopefully the green girl's own Ashikabi will show up as well."

Roxas narrowed his eyes as he heard Seo talk about the Sekirei who protects un-winged Sekirei. He didn't have to think twice about whom that was.

Homura. The Fire Sekirei.

"When should we go?"

"Well…" Seo said as he scratched the back of his head. "Tomorrow is my last day at the construction site. Meet me after work and we will protect the green girl and help her find her Ashikabi."

Roxas raised and eyebrow at Seo when a thought occurred to him. "Why do you care anyway? Why do you want to help the green girl?"

Seo frowned at his question. He turned to walk out of the front door, but paused as he rested his hand on the doorframe. "C'mon Roxas. I will admit that I might be scum sometimes, but not even I can stand by and let a little girl suffer like that."

Roxas gave a small smile as he watched Seo and his Sekirei walk out the door. Maybe Seo wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

"Hey Yashima, check this out!" Junichi said as he grabbed a fistful of Yashima's hair and raised her head to look at the text on his phone.

Yashima winced as she looked at the screen. As she read the text, her stomach turned at what it said.

"It looks like we might have someone else join our little flock pretty soon. Hopefully they wont be a winy as you."

Yashima didn't say anything as she rested her head back on the floor. It looked like her master had found another target for his sadistic pleasure.

"Get up Yashima. Tomorrow you better not let me down, because if we don't wing this green girl, I am taking it out on you." Junichi said with a vile grin.

Yashima could barely feel her legs because of the amount of abuse she had gone threw since she was winged. She didn't even know if she would be able to walk tomorrow, let alone fight any other Sekirei that arrived at the gardens.

But…

She had learned that when Junichi made a threat, he was serious. If he didn't get his prize, she would have to suffer hell for god knows how long. She was tired of the suffering.

"Yes…Master."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Sorry guys, but in this fan fiction, Chiho had already passed away due to her illness. However, there will be a bit more of an explanation later as to why it killed her so much sooner than in cannon. Sorry if that bothers anyone, but this is my story. I will write it how I want it to be written. If you don't like it, there are plenty other fan fictions where Chiho is cured, where she is alive. Chiho refused to wing Uzume because she knew she would die soon, but Uzume was still shattered upon Chiho's death.**

 **So what did you think? Like I said last chapter, this story goes more side-by-side cannon that follows it. If you enjoy the chapter, Please leave a review. It really helps, trust me.**

 **Until then!**


	6. Chapter 6: Open the door

**Authors Note: Hello everyone. Here is another chapter for you all. I just want to say that I am having a very fun time with this fan fiction right now. I have been looking forward to writing this chapter and I hope you all enjoy it. Now, just letting you know, I have Roxas's Sekirei set in place and I will not be adding anymore unless I have some HUGE inspiration to do so. Like I said before, to many in a harem really destroys the romance and eventually just becomes annoying.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

 **Warning: Spelling and grammar will be present because I don't have a beta. I apologize for it, but this is something I do in my free time. I will try my best to find them all, but I am not perfect.**

* * *

Unbound

Chapter 6

Homura was wearing a very nice suit as he waited in front of Izumo Inn. He tugged at the caller a bit as he adjusted his tie. Upon seeing a limo in the distance, he plucked out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. It wasn't second later before the extravagant car pulled up right next to the silver-haired Sekirei. The window slowly lowered before a woman's face was visible. She had a hair color that was similar to Homura's, as well as an eye patch over her left eye. Her attire consisted of a very expensive looking dress that seemed to caress her every curve.

"Homura." The woman greeted.

"Takami." Homura responded as he opened the door. He slid into the seat next to the woman before he pulled out another cigarette and handed it to her. He then ignited a small flame on his fingertip, allowing both individuals to light the cancer stick. They took a moment to enjoy a good smoke before Takami turned to the person of interest.

"What have you got for me Homura?"

Homura paused, still not sure if he should bring it up or not. But since it was already in MBI's database, it was likely that Takami already knew about it.

"First of all, you probably already knew this, but Akitsu has been winged."

Takami took a large inhale of smoke before she slowly let it loose. "Yes it did know that. It caused quite a commotion in MBI. I swear, that bonehead Minaka hasn't stop trying to find out how since we got the notification. But what's even more interesting is about who winged her."

"Yeah, Roxas right?"

Takami paused as she lowered her cigarette, glancing over at the fire Sekirei. "Yeah. How did you know?"

"I already met him. He stopped by Izumo a few days back asking Miya for some advice. Something about running an Inn. But what's so interesting about him?" Homura asked, taking another breath of smoke.

Takami narrowed her eyes a little, slightly twirling her cigarette in thought. "What's interesting is that we know nothing about him. He has no family records, no birth certificate that we can find, no surname, nothing. The earliest records we can find of him were when he started working for Shinto Locksmith about a year ago. It's almost as if he didn't exist before that."

Homura stared at the woman next to him. "Actually, I already knew that MBI lacked some details about Roxas. I had Matsu hack into the MBI database recently. I am honestly surprised that you can't pull up anything else with the resources at your disposal."

"You're preaching to the choir on that one. I am pretty frustrated about it, but Minaka couldn't be happier. The amount of research and digging he's been doing is getting creepy. Its almost like he is stocking the poor kid." Takami said as she took another puff of smoke. "You said you met him right? What do you make of him?"

"…There's not much to say. He is a respectable and responsible kid. Did you know he owns an Inn now? His former landlady left him everything when she passed away."

Takami couldn't help but be a bit impressed, but she gave a small sigh as well. "If only my kid could be that responsible."

"There is something else that I wanted to talk to you about." Homura said, catching Takami's attention. The fire Sekirei bit his lower lip as he tried to figure out where to start. "I met someone very suspicious a few nights ago. Have you viewed your satellite footage lately?"

"Homura. Those satellites are recording 24/7. I don't have time to check every little ounce of footage stored in our database."

Homura took a deep breath as he pulled out a piece of paper from his coat pocket. "I promise you this will be worth your time. But make sure that Minaka doesn't see it. We both know how he gets when something interesting happens in his game." He said as he handed over the paper to Takami.

The woman raised an eyebrow before she reached out and took it. Unfolding it, she saw a day, a time, and a section of Shinto written on the paper. "What is this supposed to be?"

"I…I'm not even sure. But you have to see it to believe it. If I just told you, there is no way you would believe me."

"Fair enough." Takami said as she slipped the piece of paper away. "I will look into it later."

"That's all I can ask." Homura responded.

* * *

While Seo was working his last day at the construction site, Roxas and Akitsu spent the majority of the day in one of the filthiest apartments in the complex. Coincidentally, it was the one that was rented out to Saiji. It seemed Saiji's bitterness of being kicked out had transferred to how messy the apartment was. Just one last "Screw you" he left for Roxas.

However, Roxas simply used the man's deposit to pay for the damages and the supplies to clean up the place. So it was easy to tell who got the last laugh.

As Roxas scrubbed the dirty floors, his mind was else ware. He was thinking about what was going to happen tonight. He knew that it was very likely that more Ashikabi would show up with their Sekirei to claim the green girl. There was a chance that they would be forced to fight, and Roxas knew he would not be able to just stand by and watch while Akitsu did everything.

But then there was another problem. Even if they managed to get to the green girl first, what would they do then? How would they be able to find her Ashikabi? He didn't even know how Sekirei reached out to the ones they react to.

Lastly, he didn't know how strong his own Sekirei was. He knew she had the ability to control ice, but what could she do with it? From what he learned about Sekirei so far, Karasuba was extremely experience with swordplay and combat, Homura could harness his power over fire to launch attacks, and even the lightning twins could control there element. But what about Akitsu? What could she do with ice?

There wasn't a really good place in Shinto where she could demonstrate the full extent of her powers, at least not without people seeing. And they didn't have time to find a place outside of Shinto before night rolled around. Before this night, there wasn't really a reason to test her powers anyway.

Glancing over at Akitsu, Roxas saw her working hard on cleaning up the walls. Sure she was a little slow and methodical with how she worked, but not a single spot of dirt was left when she was done with each section.

"Hey Akitsu." Roxas started, getting the woman's attention. "I've never asked before, but how much fighting experience do you have? What can you do with your ice?"

"Ah…" Akitsu paused as she thought about the question. "I can hold my own against the single digit Sekirei."

"Single digit Sekirei?"

"Yes." She said as she stopped cleaning the walls. "The single digit Sekirei are considered the strongest of all the Sekirei."

Roxas paused as he remembered the first time Karasuba introduced herself to him. She said she was number zero-four, so he could only assume that she was one of the strongest.

"I remembered you telling me that you were number seven, right?"

"Ah…" Akitsu paused. "Yes."

"Wow." Roxas paused. "And how would you rate yourself against the numbers higher than your own."

"I…don't know. I would have to fight them to find out." Akitsu responded.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I am just trying to see if we can come up with a plan when tonight comes. If a high level Sekirei comes for the green girl, I wonder if we should fight, or if we should run."

"Ah…I will fight to protect you Roxas." Akitsu responded instantly.

Roxas paused as well as he glanced over at Akitsu. He could understand what she was saying because, compared to Sekirei, humans were pretty feeble creatures.

But…

She had no idea what he was capable of. It almost made him feel a bit bad for holding out on her so much.

"Thanks Akitsu." Roxas responded as he went back to scrubbing the floor. "Lets just finish up this part of the apartment and be done for today. We need to rest of for tonight."

"Ok."

It was just a couple hours later before Roxas and Akitsu had cleaned most of the apartment. They had cleaned themselves us and ate a decent meal before resting on the couch. Currently, they were watching a program on TV. Roxas had his arm over Akitsu's shoulder as she leaned against him, both waiting for the time when they were supposed to meet Seo after his shift. They weren't really focused on what was on the TV; rather they just enjoyed the warmth of each other's body. It became a bit of a tradition to cuddle like this after working hard on the apartments. It was something that they both enjoyed.

The clock ticked softly in the background as they sat there. Roxas glanced over at it before he realized it was almost time to go. Carefully, he removed his arm from around Akitsu's shoulder, causing the woman to almost pout at the lack of body heat. He stood from the couch and walked over his room before he pulled out his backpack and threw it over his shoulder. He then walked back to the living room where Akitsu was waiting.

"You ready?"

"Ah…yes." Akitsu responded as she stood from the couch. She gave his backpack a curious glance as they both approached the door. "Why are you bringing the backpack?"

"In case of emergency." Roxas responded as he exited the door. Akitsu raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't question further.

* * *

A quick walk walter, Roxas and Akitsu made it to the construction site. However, once they reached the entrance, they noticed that the gate was shut. A large sign that said, "Closed" was slapped on the front.

"Hmm." Roxas hummed. "We are a bit early, so the construction site should still be open. I wonder what happened."

"I don't know." Akitsu responded as she looked up into the sky. She frowned a bit when she noticed MBI helicopters flying through the air. She nudged Roxas on the arm as she pointed up.

Roxas followed her finger, also noticing the MBI choppers hovering over the Botanical gardens. Maybe that had something to do with it, but where in the world was Seo? Wasn't he supposed to wait for them? Then again, if the construction site closed down earlier, then maybe he was already there.

 _BOOM_

The ground shook slightly as Roxas and Akitsu saw a bolt of lighting strike near the Botanical gardens. Narrowing his eyes, Roxas didn't even need to guess who that was.

"It looks like they started before us." He said as he gestured to the towering overgrowth of the botanical gardens. "We should get moving."

"Ah…" Akitsu paused. "Ok."

It didn't take long before Roxas and Akitsu found there way to the garden from the construction site. It was easy to find thanks to the overgrowth, but when they arrived, they couldn't help but be surprised at the destruction Seo already caused.

A few cars had blown up and fire was spreading around the entrance of the gardens, catching fire to the greenery.

"Akitsu, can you put out the fire before is spreads?" Roxas asked.

Akitsu nodded as she extended her arms. Immediately, the temperature dropped significantly. The parts of the gardens that were on fire suddenly froze over with a layer of ice, completely cutting the flame off from their fuel source. It took only seconds to freeze any part of the gardens that the fire touched.

"Wow." Roxas whispered, clearly impressed with the amount of control Akitsu had over the ice. I could have rivaled, or even surpassed Vexen. "Great job."

"Ah…Thanks." Akitsu said, a small blush forming on her cheeks. She liked getting praise from Roxas. "I had to freeze the wood to stop the fire. The gardens might be damaged a little, but the fire won't spread."

"True." Roxas responded. He and Akitsu were about to walk through the entrance when a stream of fire fell from the sky and hit the ground in front of them. They both jumped back to avoid being burned. However Roxas's eyes narrowed. This situation seemed really familiar.

Soon, the fire dissipated, revealing a figure dressed in black standing between them and the botanical gardens. He had a flame ignited in one hand as he stared at Roxas and Akitsu.

"I assume you got the text from Minaka as well, but unless you're the green girl's Ashikabi, I am going to stop you." The man said.

Roxas instantly recognized the Sekirei standing in front of them. Honestly, he almost expected to run into him as some point tonight.

"Yes, we got the text, but I am not her Ashikabi." Roxas said. He could feel the temperature fluctuate as he saw both Akitsu and Homura on edge. Frost started forming over the ground as Akitsu's power continued to rise. He could even see his own breath at this point. Gently, he rested a hand on her shoulder. "Akitsu, calm down."

Akitsu hesitated, but eased up on her powers just a little. There was no way she was going to trust anyone when the safety of her Ashikabi was in jeopardy.

"If you're not her Ashikabi, then why are you here?" Homura challenged.

"The same reason you are." Roxas countered. "We know that there might be people who want to forcefully wing her. We want to find her before that happens."

Homura narrowed his eyes at Roxas. He instantly recognized the boy the moment he saw that spikey golden hair of his. From first impressions at Izumo, he knew Roxas was a decent kid, but he wasn't going to chance it. And also, how did Roxas know that Homura was there to protect the green girl?

"Why should I believe you? How do I know you're not just here to forcefully wing her?" Homura asked, the flame in his hand growing a bit.

Roxas could feel his own Sekirei increase her power output as well. The temperature plummeted again, making him shiver slightly. How was he supposed to convince Homura? He had nothing but his own word and the word of his Sekirei.

His Sekirei…That's it!

"Look at my Sekirei." Roxas said, gesturing to Akitsu. "Do you know who she is?"

"Of course I do. She is Zero-seven. Akitsu."

"Then you know she was the broken Sekirei at one point."

"What are you getting at?"

"She knows what its like to be forcefully winged. She knows the hopelessness of never being able to find her Ashikabi. And I have felt that hopelessness through her. Do you think I would do that to another Sekirei? Do you think I could even stand by and watch it happen to a little girl?"

Homura blinked a few times. Roxas had a point…a very good point.

"My my, what do we have here? It's been a long time Homura."

Roxas, Akitsu, and Homura looked down the street to see a couple figures standing there. Immediately, Homura's eyes widened in panic when he recognized the two Sekirei.

"Shit!" he cursed. "Number 43, Yomi. And number zero-five. Mutsu."

Roxas's eyes widened when he saw the two numbers standing there. One of them was a woman with a huge Scythe over her shoulder. And the other one was a tall male with and orange scarf around his neck. He also had a Katana strapped to his hip.

He learned from Akitsu that single number Sekirei were really powerful. And here was one, just one step below Karasuba in terms of power. That was honestly frightening because he knew firsthand Karasuba's strength.

"Looks like we are not the only ones here, huh Mutsu." Yomi said, a sadistic look in her eyes.

The other Sekirei didn't say a world. He simply rested his hand on the katana at his hip.

"Yomi, what are you doing here?" Homura seethed.

"We all got the text Homura." Yomi said cheerfully, resting her scythe over her shoulders. "The first one wins. And you know how much my master loves games."

A flame ignited in Homura's hand as he stared at the two. "I can't hand over the green girl to someone who says that."

Yomi was about to taunt more, but a hand rested on her shoulder. She looked over at Mutsu, who stared emotionlessly at the trio. "Go get the green girl. I will hold them off here." He said as stepped forward.

"Aw. I wanted to have some fun with them. But I guess you're right, we don't want to displease out master now, don't we."

Mutsu didn't say anything else as he rested his hand on the Katana.

"Still as quest as ever. Well, I will leave it to you then." She said as she turned and leaped over the fence."

"Wait!" Homura shouted as he shot a blast of flame at the female Sekirei.

"Smashing point."

Homura was thrown off balance as the very concrete he was standing on shattered and fragmented. While off balance, Mutsu rushed forward and drove his sheath into Homura's stomach, causing the Sekirei to fly backwards, landing on the hard concrete.

"Don't interfere Homura. This is the wish of my Ashikabi." Mutsu said calmly as he rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Roxas watched in amazement. So this new Sekirei, Mutsu, could control the earth. Not only that, but his speed was pretty close to Karasuba's. It seemed this guy was on a whole other level.

However…

He looked into the forest where the other Sekirei managed to enter. Based on her speed, it looked like it wouldn't take long before she found the green girl. He needed to make a decision about what to do.

"Akitsu, follow me." Roxas said as he rushed over to where Homura was laying. He was about to lay a hand on the Sekirei's shoulder to get his attention, but Homura's body was radiating an extreme heat. Calling out might be a better idea. "Homura."

Homura slowly pushed himself to a kneeling position as he glanced up at Roxas. "What?"

"Who is this guy's Ashikabi?"

Homura clenched his teeth. "Mikogami. He is known for collecting Sekirei like they're nothing more than collectables. He doesn't care if they react to him or not. They are just trophies to him."

"Shit." Roxas cursed as he glanced at the forest again. "How would you stack yourself against this guy?" He gestured to Mutsu.

Homura bit his lower lip as he shook his head. "Mutsu is one of the most powerful Sekirei in the game. I don't know if I can take him on alone." He admitted truthfully.

Roxas grit his teeth as he looked at his Sekirei. An idea popped in his head, but he didn't like it, and he knew Akitsu wouldn't like it either. He didn't want to endanger his own Sekirei, but he also didn't want Kusano to be forcefully winged like a prize possession.

It was disgusting and he needed to make sure that it didn't happen.

"Akitsu." Roxas said, getting to woman's attention. "Help Homura and hold off Mutsu. I am going after the green girl."

Akitsu took a moment to process his words before her eyes widened. "Ah…I can't do that. You would be in danger."

"No I won't. I am going to meet up with Seo and his Sekirei. I need to tell them about Yomi. Please Akitsu, you know why we can't let this happen."

Akitsu struggled within herself. Obviously, she didn't want to endanger her Ashikabi, but then again, Sekirei were not supposed to harm humans. Also, Seo and his two Sekirei should be able to protect him.

But still…

Roxas seemed to feel her thought process as he gently grasped her shoulders. "Don't worry about me Akitsu. I will be fine. I promise."

"Ah…" Akitsu paused, her eyes cast down a bit. "I understand. Please…be careful."

"I will." Roxas said as he slowly cupped her chin, gently raising her face till there eyes met. He brought her close and gently kissed her on the lips.

Akitsu's eyes widened immensely as she felt serge of power flow through her body. Her wings erupted from her back as she felt complete joy spread throughout her body. This was the first time Roxas had ever initiated a kiss before…and it felt wonderful.

Mutsu narrowed his eyes when he saw the wings spring from Akitsu's back. He thought she was the broken Sekirei one that could not be winged. How misinformed he was. But right now, he needed to stop them.

"I can't let you go." Mutsu said as he slammed his sheath into the ground. "Smashing point."

The ground started to split, but instantly, Akitsu broke away from Roxas and waved her hand. Ice instantly coated the ground, freezing the shattered earth in place before she sent a number of projectiles headed straight at Mutsu.

Mutsu's eyes widened as he quickly drew his sword and deflected as many projectiles as he could.

Akitsu's eyes were burning with determination and power. "This is the ice of my pledge. Shatter the misfortunes of my Ashikabi." She chanted as she raised both her hands. "Ice Erosion."

Roxas's eyes widened as Akitsu slammed her hands on the ground. A wave of ice sprung forth from the earth like a geyser. It seemed to consume the entire area; large ice spikes erupted from the ground, heading straight for Mutsu, who barely had time to react as he jumped backwards, trying to avoid the jagged ice crystals forming around him.

"Roxas." Akitsu said, getting his attention. "Go."

"R-Right." Roxas said, still very impressed with her ability. He turned and ran into the Botanical gardens, determined to find the green girl before Yomi.

"I won't let you!" Mutsu said, a little more determined as he jumped at Roxas. However, a wall of ice formed between him and Roxas, causing Mutsu to nearly smash into it. A stream of fire that nicked the male Sekirei's shoulder followed it.

"We are your opponents." Homura said as a flame ignited in his hand. Akitsu was standing at his side, numerous ice shards slowly rotating around her as she looked up at Mutsu. He honestly didn't think that something like this would happen. He was actually fighting alongside another Sekirei to take on a high level number like Mutsu. And to actually whiteness firsthand what Akitsu could do, it was incredible.

At first, Roxas didn't know how he felt about leaving Akitsu to fight a high level Sekirei like Mutsu, but after witnessing her power, any worries seem to vanish. He was honestly surprised she was so powerful.

Shaking his head, Roxas pushed those thoughts to the back of his head. He had another mission at hand. But he was not going to find Seo. No, that would take too long. Instead, he pulled off his backpack and unzipped it, taking out his Black coat before throwing it over his shoulders. He needed to find the green girl, and using light dash was the fastest way possible. Immediately, he activated his speed ability, shooting around trees in streaks of light, trying to find the little girl.

* * *

"Its all my fault." A tiny voice whispered as she huddled under a small tree in the botanical gardens. "I-I just wanted to go outside."

The little girl with blond, almost orange hair could be seen curled up in a ball at the base of a large tree. Her name was Kusano, and she was the green girl. She had done everything in her power to reach out to her own Ashikabi, but he hadn't show up yet, and she was getting scared.

"Onii-chan. Save me…Please." She cried as she thought about the man she reacted too. She remembered the first time she caught a glimpse of him. He and another girl were falling from the sky for some reason. When he cried out for someone to save them, she asked the tree to break there fall.

Though it was still developing, her power over plant life was quite an extraordinary ability. It was her power that caused the sudden overgrowth of the botanical gardens. It was an accident, but she was scared and it caused her powers to go haywire, quickly encasing herself in a protective forest of trees.

But now she was stuck. She didn't want to leave the safety of her forest, but she also knew that bad people were out there to get her. That's why she reached out to her Ashikabi, through the plant life, and also his dreams.

So why wasn't he here yet?

A shuffle of grass behind her causing the small girl to raise her head from her hands. She carefully glances over her shoulder. "Onii-chan?"

"You have been a very bad girl Kusano, running away from master like that. You should know that when Mater wants something, he gets it." The person sneered.

Kusano's eyes widened in terror as she saw a girl standing there. She instantly knew who this was. She was the one that attacked her and Takami when Kusano asked to go outside. This Sekirei was the reason her powers went out of control and she was left alone in the gardens.

"No."

"Yes. Now come with me right now. Master is waiting for us." Yomi said as she roughly grabbed the girls arm, trying to drag her away."

"No! Let me go!" Kusano cried, beating against Yomi's grip with her other hand. She tugged and pulled, resisting with every ounce of strength she had.

"You annoying little brat." Yomi sneered, shoving the little girl to the ground. "Bad children like you need to be disciplined. I don't think master will mind a few scratches as long as most of you is intact."

Kusano's eyes widened again as she looked up at the older girl in fear. She watched as Yomi raised her scythe before she grasped her head with her arms.

"ONII-CHAN SAVE ME!" she screamed.

A spinning weapon flew threw the trees before it slamming into Yomi. She screamed out in pain as she was thrown off her feet, crashing to the ground a few feet away.

Kusano remained exactly where she was, holding her head in her hands, her eyes clenched shut in fear. She waited, but Yomi's attack didn't land. Slowly, she opened her yes to see another person standing in front of her. He was wearing a black coat, a hood was completely covered his face. The person simply raised his hand and caught the spinning weapon as it returned to him.

Her eyes widened in fear as the hooded figure turned his head towards her. Taking a step closer, she flinched back, holding her head in her hands again as she turned away.

* * *

Roxas had just entered the scene, throwing his keyblade at Yomi before she landed some sort of attack on the small girl. When the hit connected, he rushed into the clearing, catching his keyblade as he turned to the little thing.

He could only guess this was the prize all the other Ashikabi were after. There was no other reason that there would be a tiny girl here in this dangerous place.

Taking one step forward, he noticed that she shrunk back in terror. He stopped in his tracks, realizing that she just went through a very terrifying experience. Of course the way he looked would scare her as well. He was a bit hesitant at first, but slowly, he reached up and removed his hood, allowing his keyblade to vanish in the process.

"Kusano?"

Slowly, the girl raised her head from her hands and looked at his face. The hood no longer obstructed it, so she got a good look. She took in his spikey blond hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Your not Onii-chan." She whispered fearfully.

Roxas could only guess she was talking about her Ashikabi. "No, I am not. But I promise, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help." He said as he slowly knelt down to her eye level.

Kusano shrunk back a little more, but Roxas just gave a small smile. He held out his hand for her. "Let me take you to your Onii-chan."

Kusano looked at the gloved hand intently. She was extremely hesitant as she looked up into his eyes, trying to find any form of deceit.

"You-You will really take me to him?" She asked.

Roxas nodded as a playful smile crossed his face. "Of course. After all, a knight is supposed to protect the princess until the prince charming comes, right? Kusano-hime."

Kusano gave the smallest of smiles as she gingerly reached out towards his hand.

"My name is Roxas. It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness."

Kusano giggle a little as she gently grasped his hand. "Roxas-nii."

Roxas carefully tried to pull her to her feet, but the girl didn't even have the strength to stand. Gingerly, he picked her off the ground, but even he was surprised at how light she was. It was almost like she had not eaten in days. Carefully, she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on tight.

"You ready?" Roxas asked.

Kusano simply nodded her head.

"Alright, lets go find…"

"You little shit! How dare you!"

Roxas felt a wind current behind him, causing him to jump to the side with Kusano in his arms. A condensed blade of air slammed into one of the trees, causing a massive gash to form on the trunk.

Quickly, Roxas flipped on his hood as he shot behind another tree to avoid another stream of air. It slammed into the stunk, nearly slicing cleanly through. Kusano gasped in fear, as she held on tighter.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be? You think I'm going to stand by and let you get away with my Ashikabi's prize? Tell you're Ashikabi to find his own Sekirei."

Roxas held the girl close as he ducked underneath another tree as a gust of air slammed into it, sending slivers of wood flying in all directions. He could feel Kusano cling to his neck in fear. There was no way he could take her on without endangering the little girl. He couldn't fight like this. He needed to get Kusano out of here, or else something might happen to her.

Clenching his free hand, he summoned the oblivion before he quickly jumped out from behind the tree. Immediately darted to the left, narrowly avoiding another blade of wind. He reached back and threw the keyblade, sending the weapon whizzing at the scythe wielder.

Yomi swung her scythe again, sending a channel of wind to collide with the spinning weapon, causing it to fly off to the side.

"Ha! Is that all you got?" Yomi taunted before her eyes widened. The hooded figure and the green girl were gone. She grit her teeth in anger, realizing what he had done. "A diversion." She whispered in fury.

Roxas held his breath as he hid behind another tree, peaking out to see a confused Yomi standing in the clearing, clearly fuming that she lost sight of them. He could have finished her off long ago, but there wasn't much he could do while protecting Kusano at the same time.

Looking down at the girl, he could see her grasping the front of his coat with her little hands, her eyes clenched shut in fear.

"Kusano." Roxas whispered, trying to get the girls attention.

Gingerly, Kusano opened her eyes and looked up into his hood, fear still in her eyes.

"I need you to hide here. Your knight has to take care of the bad guy."

Kusano's eyes filled with fear at the thought of being left alone. He grabbed the front of his coat harder. "No! Please don't leave me!" she cried.

"Shh." Roxas shushed quietly, peaking over the tree again to make sure they weren't heard. He bit his lip slightly, knowing how scared she was, but he gently patted her head. "You need to be brave and trust me. A princess should have faith in their knight. Can you do that for me, Kusano-hime? Can you be brave?"

"I-I don't know. I'm scared." She whimpered.

"I know. But I also know you can do this."

Very slowly, Kusano released the front of his coat. "O-Ok."

Roxas nodded as he set her down behind another tree. "Stay here while I take care of the bad guy, alright?"

Kusano nodded once as she rested her back against the trunk of the tree, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"Shit! Where did they go?" Yomi screeched in irritation. She randomly swung her scythe, expelling another current of air at a random tree, causing a major gash to form. "Master is going to kill m…"

From the corner of her eye, Yomi caught the sight of another spinning weapon heading straight for her. She barely had time to leap to the side, rolling over her shoulder before she stood up straight and faced where the weapon had been thrown.

Standing there, dressed in a black coat, was the person who had taken her master's prize away. He simply reached up and caught the weapon as it returned to his hand. He didn't gloat, didn't even speak a word, just got down in his fighting stance, ready for a battle.

Yomi grinded her teeth a bit as she readied her scythe. "Where is the green girl?" She demanded.

Roxas didn't answer, just stared at the deranged Sekirei. "Why did you attack her?"

"I'm the one asking the questions." Yomi sneered back, swinging her Scythe at him. Roxas simply leaned to the side, avoiding the gust of condensed air as is whizzed passed him.

"She is just a little girl. Why would you try to hurt her?"

Yomi growled as she rested her weapon against her shoulder. She smirked slightly however, seeing that she just might humor her victim a little before she took him out. "She caused a lot of trouble for my master. All she had to do was shut up and let him wing her, but instead he had to go through all this. She should be honored that my master would even consider her an object for his collection."

Roxas gripped his keyblade tighter. "Just an object for a collection…so that's the way your Ashikabi view's Sekirei? As trinkets that need to be collected?"

"More or less." Yomi responded. "To him, this is just a game, and with more players under his control, he has more of an opportunity to win."

Roxas could not believe the words coming out of Yomi's mouth. "Is that how you view yourself? Just one of a collection? Is that really how you view your own bond?"

Yomi narrowed her eyes at him. "Absolutely not! I'm different than those other bitches. I reacted to him. I know I am special to him."

"For some reason, I really doubt that. From what you have told me, you are no less than another collectable. Nothing more, nothing less. The bond means nothing to him."

Yomi's face courted in outrage. "SHUT UP!" She screamed as she rushed at him, swinging her scythe again. Roxas rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding another stream of air as he shot forward at the enraged Sekirei. He swung his keyblade at her, but she raised her weapon, blocking his strike.

However, the strength behind Roxas's swing literally lifted her off the ground, throwing her back a few feet before she gracefully flipped backwards, landing on her feet.

Yomi's arms were shaking as she stared at the person in front of her. His strength was unreal. Based on that exchange alone, she knew she wouldn't be able to take him on in physical combat.

Swinging her Scythe again, she sent several more currents of air at him, trying to keep the figure at a distance. Roxas used light dash, speeding around the area like a bullet to avoid the sharp winds as they slammed into threes. Chips of wood flew around the area and even whole trunks were sliced all through completely.

A nearby tree started to fall behind Roxas, causing the Nobody to rush to the side. The tree crashed to the ground, casting dirt and dust up into the air. Roxas hid behind it, looking around at the destruction this Sekirei was causing. Even though he knew Kusano was safe, if Yomi kept attacking like this, eventually it would reach her. He couldn't use the corridors because what if she attacked accidentally attacked where Kusano was hiding? With they way she launched her air projectiles, he had to be ready to block.

"Come out, Come out where ever you are." Yomi sang annoyingly.

Roxas grit his teeth in agitation. He needed to end his soon. He peaked over the fallen tree, but Yomi somehow managed to catch sight of him. She swung at his location, sending another wave of condensed air at him.

Roxas flipped over the tree just at the wind sliced it in half. Rotating over, he raised his keyblade, his very frame glowing a bit with a lighter aura. He had not used this ability in a long time, so hopefully it wasn't rusty.

Landing on the ground, he swung his keyblade in a downward motion. Immediately, five pillars of light hit the ground in front of him before they shot at Yomi. Yomi didn't even have time to widen her eyes before the barrage rammed into her. She was thrown off her feet, her scythe flying from her grasp as she smashed into the trunk of a tree. Fleck of spit and blood flew from her mouth as she slid down the tree, completely dazed.

Roxas took a deep breath as he calmed the raging power within him. He had not used light pillars in a long time. Truthfully, he could have used a different ranged attack, but this Sekirei was pretty nimble.

Yomi was completely out of it. She didn't expect that at all. Slowly, she looked up at the approaching figure in black. Her heart sank as she saw him walking towards her, the strange black weapon in his hand. It honestly terrified her, like the very essence of death was closing in on her.

"N-No, get away!" she cried out, making an attempt to stand. She looked to her side, noticing that her scythe was nearly within her grasp. She reached out to grab it, but a black shoe stomped her hand into the ground, causing her to gasp in pain. She looked up to see the point of the black weapon pointed between her eyes. "P-please, no. I-I don't want to be deactivated."

"Why should I stop after what you would have done to Kusano?" Roxas asked as he raised his keyblade. Yomi didn't have a response to that, but her eyes widened as she saw his weapon about to strike her down.

"Kuu-chan! Where are you?"

Roxas and Yomi halted when a voice entered the clearing. Roxas looked over his shoulder to see a new person run out of the trees and into the opening. He was looking around frantically, as if he were trying to find someone. He didn't even seem to notice Roxas and Yomi as he clasped his hands over his mouth again. "Kuu-Chan!"

"Onii-chan?"

Roxas's eyes widened in horror when Kusano's little head poked out from the tree she was hiding behind. The little girl stared at the young man for a few second before she suddenly darted out of her hiding spot, her arms outstretched. "Onii-chan!"

Roxas panicked a bit, not knowing if this guy was just another Ashikabi in this race, or her actual Ashikabi. "Kusano, wait!" he said, calling out to her.

Yomi shook herself from her stupor as he realized her captor was now distracted. With one quick motion, she wrenched her hand out from under Roxas's shoe as she grasped her scythe. Quickly, she dashed away from him before wildly swinging her weapon. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Several wind blades shot straight at Roxas. He easily used light dash to avoid them all, but in doing so, he cleared a path straight for Kusano and the young man. He looked back in horror as he watched the condensed air shoot straight at the girls exposed back as she continued running towards the other young man.

"Shit!"

* * *

The young man had his arms extended, ready to catch Kusano as she ran into his arms, but then he noticed the sharp wind ripping up the ground as it shot at them. He knew if it hit them, they would be cut into pieces. Carefully, he wrapped his arms around the little girl and closed his eyes, waiting for the impact to happen.

"AERO!"

 _BAM_

The young man had his eyes clenched closed a she heard the sound of two forces colliding. It sounded as if two cars had rammed into each other. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see what happened. The back of a black coat engulfed most of his vision, signifying that someone was standing in front of them. The figure was in a crouched down position, both hand extended in front. Glancing around, he noticed that there was a current of wind that surrounded him, Kusano, and the black-cloaked figure. Deep gashes in the ground and surrounding trees shows that the current of wind surrounding them protected them from the attack.

"W-Who are you?" the young man said a she held Kusano close. The little girl had buried her head in the man's chest. He tried to glance around the figure to look at his face, but it was shrouded with a hood. However, the young man's eyes widened when he saw the person's hands.

They were shredded, like they had been caught in a blender.

Roxas winced a bit as he felt pain course through his hands. He had made it in time to save Kusano and the other person, but one of the wind blades had managed to make it through before he cast his Aero spell. He managed to deflect the blade with his hands, but it didn't come without a cost.

"You." Roxas gasped out, addressing the man behind him.

"M-Me?"

"Yes you. Are you Kusano's Ashikabi?"

"I-I think so."

"Then get her out of here!" Roxas growled as he lowered his hands. Blood was seeping out of his shredded gloves and dripping on the ground.

"What?"

Roxas turned to look at the man. "I said get out of here NOW!"

"O-Ok!" the scared man squeaked, flinching slightly at the harsh tone in Roxas's voice. He quickly picked up Kusano before sprinting away into the distance.

Giving a small sight of relief, Roxas looked up at Yomi. She gave him a sinister smile. "Well, this should be easy now. All I have to do is take you down and go after the brat and the wimp. After that, Master will be so pleased that I brought him his prize."

"Cura."

Yomi's eyes widened in disbelief when a light green glow began to radiate off of Roxas's hands. The scrapes and cuts began to disappear before he extended his hand. In a flash of light, the strange weapon appeared again.

"T-That's not fair." Yomi said, fear evident in her voice.

Roxas decided he had enough. Much to Yomi's amazement, a black pillar erupted from the ground, completely consuming him. When the pillar dissipated, he was nowhere to be seen.

Yomi looked around frantically, trying to figure out what just happened. He was there just a second ago, but now he was gone.

"Where?"

 _WACK_

Pain exploded over the back of Yomi's head as a hard metal object collided with her skull. She felt like the blow had pulverized her very own brains. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as blood spurted from her nose.

"N-No. Not like this." She said as she slowly fell to the ground.

Roxas looked down at the Sekirei for a few seconds. He could have used the corridors earlier, but with this stupid woman slicing in all directions, he had to be ready in case on of them shot at Kusano. But now, he watched as she lay there motionlessly on the ground, the back of her head bleeding.

He gave a sigh and was about to walk away, but noticed that there was a slight glow on the back of Yomi's neck. Taking a closer look, he saw the symbol of the wagtail there. It shimmered slightly before is suddenly faded from off her skin. It was almost the same way Akitsu's crest disappeared from off her forehead, but this felt quite a bit more significant. He knew what it meant though.

This Sekirei was deactivated. It seemed the damage was enough, but Roxas didn't feel bad. This woman would have hurt a young child and forcefully wing her to someone she didn't react to. She needed to be eliminated.

Wincing a bit, Roxas let the keyblade vanish as he looked down at his hands. Sure the Cure spell managed to do a good deal of repair, his hands still hurt like hell. Carefully, he sat down against one of the trees as he tried to catch his breath. He was just praying now that the person who took Kusano was actually her Ashikabi. He remembered Kusano calling him her Onii-chan and even putting herself in danger to run over to him. So he could only pray that was the case.

* * *

Akitsu and Homura were still taking on Mutsu. Homura had to admit, without the icy Sekirei at his side, Mutsu would have done him in a long time ago. But the former scrapped number was extremely skilled. He shot another stream of fire at Mutsu, but it was easily dodged. However Mutsu was forced to dodge again as a rain of icy spikes fell from the sky, nearly sticking the male Sekirei.

Mutsu was breathing hard, completely on his toes with this fight. Because of his own close combat style, Akitsu and Homura learned to use ranged attacks to keep him at a distance. It didn't help that Akitsu was also skilled with close range combat, able to create ice shields and close range projectiles to counter his strikes. Hopefully Yomi would complete her part while he kept these two busy.

However, things were not looking good for the male Sekirei. Akitsu and Homura worked together like a well-oiled machine.

Jumping to the side to avoid another stream of fire, Mutsu landed on the ground only to notice that his feet were trapped to the ground by a sheet of ice. He glared over at the expressionless Sekirei as he tried to pry them free. He felt an oncoming blast of fire headed in his direction.

"Smashing Point!" He said as he jammed his sheathed sword into the ground. The ice fractured and cracked, allowing him to break free just in time to avoid the intense heat of Homura's flames.

Homura could not believe that he and Akitsu were holding off one of the most powerful Sekirei in the game. Being apart of the first disciplinary squad, Mutsu was easily one of the top competitors, but he and Akitsu were keeping him at bay, even pushing him back.

Suddenly, Mutsu jumped backwards again as he narrowed his eyes at the two standing in his way. He was about to move again, but something caught his sight. He turned his head to see a familiar limousine driving towards him. It didn't take long before it stopped just besides him, the window rolling down to reveal another young man.

"Mutsu, retreat for now. That useless Sekirei was deactivated and the green girl is gone."

Mutsu silently looked across the street at Homura and Akitsu, who were ready for another round. He gave a small sigh as he simply opened the door and entered the limousine before it drove off.

Akitsu and Homura watched them leave, doing nothing to stop him. They could have stopped the limo, but it was still against the rules of the game to hurt humans. So they let Mutsu escape for now. Besides, there only goal was to keep one of the most powerful Sekirei at bay and hope that Roxas and Seo had protected the green girl.

Homura took a couple deep breaths as he tried to calm his powers down. His body felt extremely hot because of his unstable abilities. In fact, his body was emitting such heat that the surrounding ice was starting to melt.

Suddenly, he collapsed to his knees, realizing that he had overextended his powers against Mutsu.

"Damn it!" Homura cursed as his body started to well up in pain. He felt like his very bones were on fire. Curse his adjuster for making his body this way.

Suddenly, an overly cold sensation washed over him. With great pain, he looked up to see Akitsu extending her hand over to him. Ice was gently enveloping his frame, crawling up his body like an extra set of cloths. Nearly the instant the ice touched his skin, it started to melt, leaving a sizeable puddle forming beneath the fire Sekirei. However, Akitsu continued to cool down Homura's body with her ice.

Soon, Homura felt a bit of relief as his powers slowly died down. Luckily, Akitsu was there to cool him off before his unstable powers consumed his body. He looked up gratefully at the ice Sekirei.

"You have my thanks." He said.

Akitsu didn't say anything as she watched the last bits of her ice slowly melt off his body. She stopped trying to cool him, seeing that his powers had stabled somewhat. Slowly, she lowered her arm.

"Ah…I can see that your adjustments didn't go that well either."

"You can say that again." Homura laughed as he tried pushing himself to his feet, only to fall back to his knees.

"Yes. It looks like I wasn't the only one that was broken." She said as she looked to the botanical gardens. She was itching to get back to her Ashikabi's side now. "Hopefully one day, you will find the person who can fix you…like I did." She finished as she leaped into the air and entered the garden.

Homura gave a sigh as he looked up into the starry sky. He slowly closed his eyes, relishing the soft wind against his face. "I don't know if I will. But I hope so too."

* * *

Roxas had his eyes closed as he tried to focus on something else other than the pain in his hands. He wished he used the higher tier of cure instead, thinking that it would have helped his hands out a bit more. Gingerly, he looked at them again. New skin covered the places where he had sustained the damage, but he knew that it wouldn't take long for them to recover. That was the beauty of the cure spell. It could heal flesh wounds pretty fast so you could continue fighting, but it didn't fully heal deep or mortal wounds.

Glancing down at the Sekirei he had finished off, he didn't quite know what to do with her now. Sure she was deactivated, but did that mean she was dead? If she weren't dead, would that mean she would return one day?

Even If she did, Kusano was hopefully safe now. The young man he protected along with the young girl seemed like he recognized Kusano, and the girl recognized him as well. He took a risk, but hopefully it would pay off.

 _TUG_

Roxas was thrown from his train of thought when he felt a sudden and unexpected tug on his keyblade. His eyes widened when the oblivion appeared in his right hand in all its glory. It tugged again, pointing itself in the direction of the line of trees in front of him. He stared at the weapon in confusion, wondering what in the world the keyblade wanted to unlock around here. However, there was one thing familiar about this particular tug.

It was the exact same tug he felt when he met Akitsu for the first time.

"Damn it Yashima. It looks like the party started without us. You had to take your sweet time in getting us here. I swear, if the green girl is gone, I am beating your ass when we get home."

Roxas heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh as a girl stumbled into the clearing. She didn't seem to notice him sitting in the shadow of the tree right in front of her, but taking a close look at her face, he could see why. Her face was covered in bruises, her left eye swollen shut, as if someone had punched her pretty hard. Her light brown, almost orange hair was matted and dirty along with her white dress.

Trailing down the rest of her body, her slender arms and legs were also covered in bruises and even dried blood. So much so that Roxas could not believe that she was even walking in the first place. However, beside that, there was another particular detail that caught his attention.

An enormous hammer that she was dragging behind her. The thing was literally the biggest hammer he had ever seen in his entire life.

The sound of rustling shrubs tore his gaze away from the girl. Someone else had walked into the clearing just moments after her.

Roxas's heart dropped like a rock. The person who had just entered the clearing was wearing a green hoodie and blue jeans. His eyes didn't show any signs of compassion, but a selfish desire to look after only himself. Roxas knew this person the moment he laid eyes on him.

The man who killed Nozomi.

Roxas didn't know why he was here, nor did he care. Unrestrained fury built up in his veins. His entire body was shaking in anger as he saw the man casually look around the destroyed clearing with his hands in his pockets.

* * *

Junichi had finally made it to the center of the botanical garden with Yashima. He growled in annoyance because Yashima had to basically limp the whole way. As he looked around the clearing, his eyes fell on a hooded figure sitting at the base of on of the trees. Lying in front of him was a woman, but he didn't have any interest in her.

"Oi, brat!" Junichi said, directing his voice at the figure sitting there at the base of the tree. "What happened here? Where is the green gi-"

The figure suddenly stood up. Without warning, it rushed at him with blinding speed, the strange weapon in his hand drawn back, ready to strike.

"Yashima!" Junichi yelled as he crossed his arms over his face.

Yashima reacted as fast as she could, standing in front of her Ashikabi. The weapon of the cloaked figure and the handle of Yashima's hammer collided. Yashima could feel the strength of his arms as he pressed his weapon against hers. Vaguely, she could see the lower half of his face through the hood. His teeth were clenched in the utmost fury.

Using what little strength she had, she shoved backwards, trying to put a little distance between them.

Junichi lowered his arms as he glared at the hooded figure. "What the hell! What are you doing!" He yelled before he turned his attention to his Sekirei. He grabbed back of her collar and turned her around so she was facing him. "And what took you so long. A second later and he would have hit me!" he screamed into her face.

"You."

Junichi felt a chill go down his spine as he turned his attention back to the hooded figure. The voice he heard was breathed out in complete hatred.

"You!"

"The fuck is your problem?" Junichi asked, a taunting jeer in his voice.

"I will kill you."

Suddenly, the hooded figures entire frame erupted with a blinding white aura. The energy twisted around him like an uncontrollable tornado. The very earth he seemed to stand on nearly cracked with the amount of power he was releasing. The twisting energy blew off the figures hood, revealing a mop of spikey golden hair. His eyes were crystal blue and courted in unrestrained rage.

The moment Junichi got a look at the kids face, he knew why this kid was so angry. He remembered that this kid was there when he killed the little old lady a while back. However, he didn't know that this kid was a Sekirei.

And after witnessing this power, Junichi wanted it.

"YASHIMA!" he yelled, roughly grabbing his Sekirei, forcing her to look at him. "You are going to fight and defeat him. Then I am going to wing him. If you fail…" He left the threat hanging, but Yashima knew what he was getting at. Turning her attention to the powerful being standing in front of them, she didn't know how long she would last against him.

However, Junichi stuck his thumb into her mouth, causing her to wince a bit. But then he roughly slammed his lips into hers. She felt a surge of power flow through her, signifying that her Norito had been activate.

But…

Instead of happiness that one would usually feel from the activation of their Norito, Yashima hated it. She hated being touched by her Ashikabi. She hated that he forcefully winged her when she was vulnerable. She hated that she had to use her most powerful ability to aid him. But she had to, because he was her Ashikabi. And no power in the world could change that.

"Hammer of my Pledge, shatter the enemies of my Ashikabi" She chanted. Immediately, a light aura began to surround her body and hammer as well. It wasn't nearly to the degree as the boy in front of her, but she had to put everything into this strike if she were to stand a chance.

Simultaneously, she and Roxas shot at each other. Roxas had drawn back his keyblade, ready to strike. Yashima had leaped high into the air, drawing back her enormous hammer as well.

"Gravity Hammer!" She yelled, swinging the enormous weapon downward.

Roxas looked up at the attack, his teeth clenched. He stomped into the ground to stabilize his balance, causing it to crack slightly, before he swung his keyblade upward at the hammer.

The effects were devastating. The force of the weapons collided sent a massive shockwave blasting through the forest. Trees were being uprooted and the very ground Roxas was standing on started to crack even more. Junichi was completely thrown off his feet before slamming into the trunk of another tree.

Roxas was grinding his teeth as he pushed against the enormous hammer. He felt the pressure on his injured hands, almost like the very forces of gravity were pushing him down.

 _Sniff_

Blinking a few times, Roxas swore he heard something wrong when a quiet sob got his attention. He glanced down the handle of the hammer before he caught sight of the girls face. His eyes widened when he saw her expression.

Complete anguish.

"Please." She begged, looking at him with tears streaming down her face. "Please kill me."

Roxas's eyes widened in horror when a sudden feeling overcame him. It was a feeling he had never felt in all his life. He felt as if no one would every love him, that his only purpose was to take the abuse of someone he was forced to be with. He felt as if he would never be with the person he was destined to.

Why was he feeling this way? It caused tears to nearly form in his eyes…

Suddenly, something clicked in his mind as he looked up at the woman's face. Her expression mirrored exactly how he felt at the moment. It took him all but two second to realize why he was feeling this way.

It was because he was feeling it through this woman.

Soon, the lightshow from both Roxas and Yashima had died down. Roxas felt like his legs and arms were made of jelly as he stood in a small crater created by the clash between him and Yashima.

Speaking of the girl, Yashima was laying on her back, her hammer at her side. Her body was completely spent now. After taking endless hours of abuse and neglect, she had pushed it beyond her limits in this fight. She still had tears streaming down her face when she though about what would come because of her failure.

Roxas felt his own power calm as he looked down at the girl. He glanced over at Junichi, who was lying on his side after being knocked away. He wanted nothing more than to kill him right then and there, but the event that happened between him and this Sekirei had his attention right now.

Slowly, he walked out of the crater and over to her. He was weeping silently as she tried to move her exhausted body.

"What's your name?" Roxas asked suddenly, causing the girl to look up at him. She bit her lower lip as she tried to sit up, wincing a bit as she did.

"Y-Yashima."

Roxas narrowed his eyes at her, causing her to flinch a little. "You're a Sekirei, aren't you?" he asked, causing her to nod. "Why did you ask me to kill you?"

Yashima felt the tears build up in her eyes again. She slowly and shakily reached up and wiped them away. "I-I'm tired."

"Tired of what?"

Yashima looked away from him, a dead look in her eyes. "I'm tired of the abuse. I'm tired wondering what it would have been like to find my true Ashikabi. I'm tired of feeling like a piece of garbage every second of the day. I'm tired of…being bound." She finished, tears streaming down her face again.

Roxas stared at the woman. She just described the exact feeling that came over him through the clash of their weapons. It was more than enough to confirm this theory.

He had felt those emotions through this Sekirei.

But why?

He thought that something like that could only happen through the bond of Ashikabi and Sekirei. Why did he feel those feeling through her? She wasn't his Sekirei.

 _Tug_

Roxas's eyes widened again as he felt the tug on his keyblade. He looked down at the distraught Sekirei, who was still sobbing. He remembered this feeling when he first met Akitsu, how she was broken. He remembered how she described the forcefully winged Sekirei as also being broken in a way, bound by the very thing that should have set them free.

 _TUG_

So maybe, just maybe there was something he could do to unlock the cage that held her down.

"If there was a chance for you to be free without dying, would you take it?" Roxas asked.

Yashima's eyes widened as she turned her attention to the spikey haired boy. The sheer about in disbelief in her eyes spoke volumes, but it suddenly changed to one of uncertainty.

"I-I doesn't know. I have already had an Ashikabi and it has brought me nothing but pain. If I were free, I don't think I would want to take the chance of being forcefully winged again. I-I would rather die."

Roxas felt another wave of anguish through her. However, it was extremely brief, almost like it was suddenly cut off.

"That is the path you need to choose." Roxas said, getting her attention. "You can give up right now and always wonder what would have been. Or you take another chance. Do something with the life you have. Because you only get one of them."

Yashima was staring up at the boy, uncertainty in her eyes. However, one though stopped her from having any hope. "B-but it's already done. I cannot escape my Ashikabi…my cage."

"You didn't answer my question." Roxas responded. "Are you going to give up now, or are you going to try again?"

Yashima frowned, but the sheer determination in this boy's crystal eyes spoke volumes. "I-I want another chance." She cried. "I want to be free."

"Then..." Roxas stared as he raised his black weapon. "Show me your crest."

Yashima stared at him, not sure what he was playing at. Sure she did ask him to kill her, but he was still a bit hesitant about becoming deactivated. "W-Why?"

"Please." He said, giving her an assuring smile. "Trust me."

Trust.

That was one thing that Yashima didn't have for anyone because of what she went through.

But

What else did she have to lose at this point? Carefully, she turned around and revealed the Sekirei crest on the nape of her neck.

Instantly, Roxas felt the familiar tug on his keyblade. He didn't resist as he let the tip began to charge with an increasingly bright light. Soon, the charge was complete and the light released itself, shooting straight at the girls crest.

Upon impact, Yashima gave a small gasp as she felt the very crest being penetrated deep into the bond. She felt as if she were a bird that just had their cage opened. It was now up to her to walk through the door and leave the bond behind.

She did without a second's hesitation. There was no way in hell she was staying with Junichi any more.

Instantly, Roxas flicked his wrist, causing the sound of a keyhole being unlocked to echo through the trees. Soon, the light died down, leaving the place much darker. He watched at the Sekirei crest flashed once before dissolving off of her skin, exactly like what happened to Akitsu.

Yashima sat there on her hands and knees, tears freely streaming down her face and landing on the dusty ground. She could not believe it, simply could not believe it. She didn't know how, or why, but it was clear as day.

She was free.

"Cure."

Suddenly, her entire body was enveloped in green light. She felt a bit of the fatigue begin to disappear. The strength in her legs also returned a bit, even though she was still quite sore.

Roxas gently walked up to her, causing her to look over at him, her eyes wide. "H-How?"

"It was your choice." Roxas responded. "I just opened the door." He glanced over at Junichi, who was slowly pushing himself to his knees, shaking his head a few times.

Yashima also looked over at her former master, fear building up in her eyes.

For some reason, Roxas also felt that fear as he looked over at her. He could tell that this man had done some horrible things to her. And even though he wanted nothing more than to kill him right then and there, maybe that honor belonged to someone else.

"Yashima." He said, getting her attention. "There is nothing to fear anymore."

"What the hell?" Junichi said as he pushed himself to his feet. He turned his attention to Roxas and Yashima. "What are you doing!? Finish him off!" Junichi yelled.

Yashima stood there, her hair overshadowing her eyes. Slowly, she reached out and grasped the handle of her hammer.

"Oi, didn't you hear me Yashima! I said defeat him! He could make a nice addition to my collection."

Yashima's grip tightened over the handle of her hammer as her teeth grinded together.

Roxas looked over at her. "You know, even though I want nothing more than to kill him myself, I think you deserve that honor."

Yashima didn't need telling twice. She looked Junichi right in the eyes in complete anger. She slowly started walking towards him, dragging her hammer behind her.

For the first time, Junichi felt a little fear as he saw Yashima approaching him with that look in her eyes. "W-What are you doing? Get him Yashima."

Yashima ignored him as she drew closer, slowly grasping the handle of her hammer with both hands. Her fury seemed to increase the closer she got to him. Flashback of all the abuse, all the rape, all the starvation, and other forms of suffering passed through her mind. Her arms were literally shaking in rage.

Junichi seemed to understand the position he was in how. He started backing up against the tree in fear. "G-Get away from me! You have to obey me. I own you YASHIMA!" he screamed.

Yashima slowly raised her hammer above her head. "No you don't. Not anymore." Finally, She swung the hammer down with all her might, every ounce of anger and despair present in that swing.

Junichi could only scream out in fear as the hammer came down on him.

 _CRUNCH_

The hammer smashed Junichi's body into the ground, casting dirt, dust, and blood into the air. The very ground seemed to tremble slightly at the impact of the blow.

Even Roxas had to wince at the brutal way Junichi died, although he was deserving of it. When the dust cleared, Roxas could see Yashima standing there, her hands on the handle of her hammer, still in the same position as when the attack landed. The only remains of Junichi were the pool of blood that was seeping out from under the giant hammer.

Slowly, Yashima released her hammer as she collapsed to her knees. She started crying softly. However, her soft cries turned into uncontrollable wales of sorry and agony. And Roxas could understand why. For who knows how long, her Ashikabi, the person who she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with, had abused her. She never had time to truly let out the sorry, rage, and agony that had built up during that time.

But now she did.

Carefully, Roxas walked over to the distraught woman as he gently sat down next to her. He tried reaching out but she automatically flinched away, as if his very touch burned her. Giving a small sigh, he decided to just leave her be. It didn't look like she wanted to be touched anytime soon.

"Ah…Roxas."

Roxas's eyes widened as he looked over into the trees. Standing there was Akitsu. She was staring at him with wide eyes, almost as if she didn't believe what she just saw. Just by the look on her face, Roxas could tell…

She had seen everything.

* * *

 **Authors Note: Well, this chapter was interesting to write. The hard thing about writing without a rough draft is that you kinda have to figure everything out on the spot. You know, dialogue, action sequences, ext. It's a bit difficult, but still fun at the same time. This was the very short green girl arc and I hope you enjoyed. Yashima is free, but what will happen next with Roxas, Akitsu, and Yashima. You will have to tune in next time.**

 **Also, Akitsu's Ice Erosion…I researched and found out it was her Norito, but I could not find out what exactly it does. So I just guessed.**

 **So what did you think? You like it? If you did, please leave a review and let me know. Thanks for reading.**

 **Until then!**


	7. Chapter 7: Good Intentions

**Authors Note: Back again with another chapter. This one took a little longer to come out with because I had to figure out how the dialogue was going to go down, as well as think out a few scenarios. It took a WAY longer than I thought so I thank you for your patience. Also, a ton of stuff when down since the last update. I graduated college, found an apartment, took care of some personal stuff, and found a new job.**

 **Also, thanks a ton for reviewing the story, following, and favoring. Thanks to you guys, the story has reached the 100+ milestone. I really appreciate the support.**

 **I was practicing a little with Photoshop and created the cover art for the story. What do you guys think? It was actually my first attempt at Photoshop. It's a little choppy, but it will do for the image I wanted to have for this story.**

 **Lastly, this might be my last chapter for a while. Considering all that has happened between now and the last chapter, life is going to get crazy for me. I am starting a new career soon, so I won't be able to update as often as I would like. But I didn't want to leave you hanging by last chapter, so I decided to hunker down and finish this chapter before getting myself situated. It was a lot of fun to write, and I hope you enjoy.**

 **Anyway, here is the next chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

 **Warning: Same spelling warning as usual.**

* * *

Unbound

Chapter 7

There comes a time in our lives when you are caught doing something you're not supposed to do. It's like when your mom catches you with your hand in the cookie jar. There is a sinking feeling in your stomach as well as a pounding in your heart when you realized someone saw what you just did.

Yeah, that was sort of how Roxas was feeling at the moment as he and Akitsu stared at each other. Only you would have to times that feeling by a couple hundred and add in the dread factor. There was definitely a sinking feeling in Roxas's stomach as he witnessed the look of pure disbelief on Akitsu's face. It was so obvious that she saw more that he wanted her to see.

In this kind of situation, Roxas didn't know what to do…or what he could even say. She had just seen him do things that were normally impossible for a human to do. And she just witnessed him using the keyblade to break the Sekirei bond between Yashima and her abusive Ashikabi. What were you supposed to say in this position? How was the conversation even supposed to start?

There was complete silence between them, as if they were waiting for the other person to beak the ice. The only sound was coming from a sobbing Yashima just a few feet away.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Akitsu opened her mouth. "R-Roxas. What…what was that?" Akitsu asked quietly, still trying to comprehend what she had just saw. She could barely put the words together to ask the question.

Roxas felt his mouth go dry, his voice completely leaving him. He didn't know how he was going to talk his way out of this one. He had no excuses, no lies, and no way to deviate from this topic. He was caught red-handed, simple as that.

"I…I just." Roxas fumbled. "I don't know what to say."

Akitsu continued staring at him, making the poor nobody really uncomfortable. It was clear through her gaze and also through the bond that she was not going to take that as an answer. How in the world was he going to explain this?

The soft sound of choppers overhead caused Roxas to look up. He noticed through the trees that a few MBI helicopters were slowly descending upon the botanical gardens. The tops of the trees swayed back and forth in correspondence with the close proximity of the helicopters.

Biting his lower lip, he looked between Akitsu and Yashima a couple times. They needed to get out of there. He didn't know why MBI was on its way, but he would rather not stay and find out. It already looked suspicious enough as it did with him standing there.

"Akitsu." Roxas started, turning his attention to his Sekirei. "We can continue this later. But for now, we have to leave."

"Ah…" Akitsu paused as she tore her gaze away from Roxas and glanced up at the helicopters. She saw them slowly descending as well. However, she looked back at Roxas, her eyes narrowing just slightly. "I…Understand but…"

Roxas could see the conflicted look on Akitsu's face. She really wanted to know what he did and how he did it. Based on past experiences, he could tell she was worried he would dodge the question again like he did in the past. And he couldn't really blame her either because, if he were in her shoes, he would want answers too.

"I promise Akitsu, I will answer any of your questions when we get out of here. Please." Roxas begged as he looked up at the helicopters. They were slowly getting closer to the top of the trees.

"…Ok." Akitsu replied quietly.

Roxas gave a small sigh of relief as he looked over at Yashima. She was hunched over next to her giant hammer, nearly in a fetal position. She was still crying a bit, but her sobs had calmed down quite significantly. However, she looked exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. He gently knelt down next to her.

"Yashima." Roxas said, causing her to flinch a bit at his voice. Slowly, she looked up at him a little fearfully. "MBI is on its way, so I'm going to ask. Are you going to come with us? Or are you going to stay here?"

Yashima swallowed as she thought about his question. She knew that MBI would most likely come after her because a Sekirei was not supposed to be able to unbind themselves. They would most likely catch her, detain her, and experiment on her in order to find out how she did it. If that happened, she could say goodbye to ever finding her Ashikabi.

But then again, after her experiences with her own Ashikabi, did she want one again? Would it be a better option to just be done with this game and go back to MBI? Yeah, she told Roxas she wanted another chance, but did she really? Did she want to give humans another chance?

"Hey."

Yashima felt a warm hand on her shoulder but she instantly flinched away from it. She looked up into the blue eyes of the boy who had freed her. Her heart started to beat just a bit faster, causing a small blush to form on her cheeks. However, she was much too preoccupied by her own fear to pay much attention to it.

Roxas noticed her fearful reaction to his touch and retracted his hand. "You don't have to come with us. You're free to do what you want now. But if you want to come, tell me now because we have to go." Roxas said, an urgent tone in his voice.

Yashima pondered her choice again. She could go back with MBI and be done with the game. She could leave right now and try to escape MBI, but she knew she was too weak to escape them, and even if she did escape, she may not be able to resist if another Ashikabi came along and tried to wing her.

Her last option was to take the mysterious boy's offer and go with him. Even though she saw him do some strange and impossible things, he still helped her. He was the only one that ever did.

And that was enough.

"Please…take me with you." Yashima said meekly.

Roxas nodded as he stood up. Yashima tried to do the same, but her legs refused to hold her up. Even with Roxas's cure spell, her entire body was incredibly fatigued after all she had been through. She collapsed on the ground again, giving a soft hiss of pain.

Roxas glanced over at her before he knelt down again. He reached out, but she flinched away from him again, as if she was afraid of any form of physical contact.

Retracting his hand, Roxas contemplated what to do. It was clear that she had been through quite an ordeal, but he didn't have time to figure out a way around this.

"Yashima, I promise I won't hurt you. We need to get out of here."

Yashima pulled her arms close to her body, obviously afraid of the thought of being touched by this boy, but she knew he was right. She couldn't get out of here without his help.

"O-Ok. Just please…don't hurt me." She whimpered.

Roxas scrunched his eyebrows a bit. It was really sickening to see someone abused to the point where they were scared of just being touched. It just proved that Junichi got what was coming to him.

Gingerly, he reached over and slowly scooped her up off the ground, bridal style. She instantly tensed, clenching her eyes shut. He could tell she was terrified, but there was nothing else he could do at the moment. She was light though, as if she had not eaten a decent meal in a long time.

"My hammer." Yashima whispered, her eyes still clenched shut.

Glancing over at the enormous weapon, Roxas knew they would have to leave it behind for now. It was too large. It would make them really easy to spot if someone decided to come after them.

"We will have to come back for it." Roxas responded. He felt a tiny shift against his chest, signifying that Yashima nodded her head in understanding.

Turning to his Sekirei, Roxas could see the confusion in her eyes as she glanced between Roxas and the Sekirei he just freed.

"We can't just leave her here." Roxas said.

"Ah…" Akitsu paused as she looked up at the helicopters. "I know."

Biting his lower lip, he could feel the emotional state of his Sekirei. There were to many feelings emulating from her. From confusion, to even fear, he could feel them all and none of them were good.

But even so, this had to wait. Turning around, he faced the direction of Nozomi Inn.

Akitsu watched as her Ashikabi crouched down with the Sekirei in his arms. She was still trying to wrap her head around what she just saw, but that could wait until they got home. However, she was once again surprised when he blasted off the ground, jumping high into the air and landing on a nearby tree branch. He then leaped off that branch, scaling the trees like it was second nature to him.

She just paused for a moment before she quickly followed after. How was her Ashikabi able to do these things? How was he able to block Yashima's Norito with pure strength alone? How was he able to unlock the bond between Sekirei and Ashikabi?

Who…or what was her Ashikabi?

Just as Akitsu disappeared into the midst of the trees, a group of people suddenly burst into the clearing.

"Hurry, he was right here…" One of them said before he paused, looking around the empty and destroyed area. "He was here; I know I saw him. He saved me and Kuu-chan."

"Where? Where is he? Is he another Sekirei? Can I get the chance to fight now Minato-san?" An overly energetic woman said, nearly bouncing on the balls of her feet, stars in her eyes.

"Um…I don't think we need to fight him Musubi-chan. He did save us."

"Oh, right." Musubi said as she bonked herself on the head.

The other figure took a few steps into the clearing, looking around at the destruction of the trees and ground before he gave a low whistle.

"Minato, you sure?"

Minato nodded his head, glancing down at the little girl in his arms. She had fainted right as she and Minato escaped the hands of Yomi. "Seo, I swear, this guy saved us. I think he was a Sekirei, but I didn't see his face. He was wearing a…black coat."

"A black coat huh?" Seo hummed as he scratched the stubble on his chin. Sounds like Homura managed to get here in time to save you and the green girl."

"Homura? Who's that?" Minato asked.

"Yeah…You really don't need to worry about him." Seo said as he walked further into the clearing, his two Sekirei following close behind. "But still, this place is wrecked. It must have been quite the battle."

"You can say that again." Hikari said as she wandered further into the clearing.

"Um…Guys. I think you should see this." Hibiki suddenly said from further in the clearing.

The whole group walked over to see what she was staring at. Immediately, all of there eyes widened.

"T-That's her! She was the one that attacked us." Minato said, pointing a shaking finger at the downed girl.

Musubi walked up next to Minato before glancing down at the deactivated Sekirei. She had a somber look on her face as she glanced up at the descending helicopters. "I was hoping I would get a fight."

Seo stared down at the deactivated Sekirei. His eyes narrowed a little as he studied the marks that ran down her body as well as the blunt trauma to the Sekirei's head. Slowly, he dug into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes before lighting one up. He breathed out a steady stream of smoke.

"Well this is interesting."

Minato, his Sekirei, and the lightning twins glanced over at him curiously.

"What's interesting?" Hikari asked.

"Nah, its nothing. Just thinking about something." He said as he dropped the cancer stick and stomped it into the ground. He knew that Homura specialized in fire-based attacks. But there was not a scorch mark anywhere on this Sekirei…or even in the clearing at all. A sharp blow to the head caused the deactivation. That was not Homura's style.

Did that mean there was someone else protecting the Sekirei?

"Seo, what's up?" Hibiki asked, feeling the confused emotions of her Ashikabi.

"Don't worry about it. What's important is that we saved the green girl." He said as he looked up at the descending MBI helicopters. The soldiers would be here any second now to pick up the deactivated Yomi.

Turning to leave, he noticed Minato and Musubi were still standing there. He glanced over his shoulder to see Musubi standing over the downed Sekirei, as if she was waiting for MBI to pick up her body.

Chuckling a bit, Seo turned around and beckoned for his Sekirei to follow. "Lets go home." He said causing Hibiki and Hikari to nod in agreement. Their job was done here. However, just as he was about to exit the gardens, a quick movement caught his eye. He glanced up to see three shadows jump out of one of the helicopter and speed along the rooftops.

He narrowed his eyes before shrugging.

* * *

It took only a few seconds before Roxas and Akitsu were out of the gardens. They were hopping along the rooftops, trying to keep in the shadows and away from the searching helicopters overhead. Roxas could feel Akitsu's stare on his back. It was obvious she was not expecting him to be able to leap rooftops like the Sekirei could. He was dreading the talk they would have when they returned to their house.

Yashima was still a bit stiff in his arms, but after feeling the cool night air flowing through her hair and gently brushing against her body, she relaxed just a little. The arms that secured her were gentle and warm, completely opposite of her former Ashikabi. Every time she had experienced any form of physical touch, it always amounted to pain. But here, being carried like this, it was nice…almost comforting. For the first time since she was released, she felt a minor bit of warmth in her heart.

Unconsciously, she snuggled up a bit into his chest, hoping she could feel just a little more of that warmth.

Roxas felt Yashima shift in his arms. Looking down at her, he noticed she was not nearly as tense as when he first picked her up. Her eyes were closed, but he could tell she was not asleep. She had her head pressed against his shoulder, her hands gently clinging the front of his coat.

He was curious about this Sekirei though. During there battle, he knew he felt her emotions at one point. Her hopelessness, despair, sadness, loneliness, everything. He felt it through her like he usually felt through the bond he had with Akitsu. Why did that happen though? Wasn't that only supposed to happen between an Ashikabi and there Sekirei?

 _BLOODLUST_

Roxas instantly felt a chill run down his spine. His eyes widened in horror when this familiar sensation washed over him.

"Oh Shit!" He cursed as he landed on a rooftop. Akitsu landed behind him, a bit confused as to why he stopped. Yashima also stirred slightly at the sudden halt, glancing up at Roxas's face to see his eyes narrowed and hardened. It was almost scary.

Slowly, Roxas's face steeled over as he turned to his Sekirei. "Akitsu, I need you to listen to me."

"Ah…" Akitsu's eyes widened just a sliver when she saw the look on Roxas's face. She had never seen him this serious or intense before. It was obvious he meant business right now. "What is it?"

"I need you to take Yashima and get back to the house, right now." Roxas said, his heart beating extremely fast.

Akitsu blinked a couple times. "What…what are you talking about? Why?"

"Akitsu." Roxas said calmly. "I need you to do this for me. Please!"

"But…I can't leave you here-"

"Akitsu." Roxas growled, his oblivion appearing in his hand despite him still holding Yashima. "Go!"

Akitsu bit her lower lip as she dipped her head. She walked forward and carefully took Yashima from his grasp, her hair overshadowing her eyes.

"Ah…As you wish, Ashikabi-sama."

Roxas winced a bit as he felt a spike of emotional pain through the bond. He felt like crying because of the way he was treating his Sekirei right now. But…this was something she couldn't handle, not after her battle with Mutsu. He had to get her and Yashima out of here, not matter what.

Not another word was said as Akitsu walked away from Roxas with Yashima in her arms and leaped off into the air. He watched as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop until she was out of sight. He felt just horrible for barking at her like that, but with what was coming, he knew he could not defend her and Yashima at the same time. Carefully, he flipped on his hood and crouched down in his one keyblade stance, the oblivion clenched in his hands.

Looking up at the rooftop of one of the buildings, he stared at that position, waiting and feeling the bloodlust grow stronger.

Finally, he saw it.

The moonlight reflected off of three individuals as they landed on the roof of the building in front of him. They all wore the same outfit that consisted of the black miniskirt, and the grey Haori with the symbol of the wagtail on the collar. One of them had pink hair and a more slender figure. Another had grey hair, as well as talons on each of her fingers. However, these two individuals didn't catch his attention.

No

The last individual he knew well. The source of the extreme bloodlust was coming from her. He had felt it many times and had honed his senses to pick up on her lust for blood, no matter how faint it was. After all, he had many death dates with this individual.

"Karasuba." Roxas whispered quietly, his keyblade clenched in his hands.

Karasuba stared down at him, her eyes closed and that eerie smile on her face. For some reason, this look was a lot more frightening that her psychotic battle loving smile.

"Well, Well, Well. What do we have here?" Karasuba said, excitement dripping in her voice. "And here I thought we were chasing down the recently…un-winged number and now we have someone standing in our way. What to do. What to do."

Roxas narrowed his eyes at the way she was talking. It was like she was pretending she didn't know him. Why was she playing dumb?

Deciding not to worry about that right now, he looked at the other two individuals. They didn't seem nearly as strong as Karasuba, but he could tell they were no pushovers either. Taking on all three would prove to be a challenge. There was no way he was going to hold back this time.

Slowly, his left hand released the oblivion. He got into his other stance before another flash of white light appeared in his hand.

The Oathkeeper.

He crouched down in his two-keyblade stance, ready to take on three opponents this time.

Karasuba's eyes widened just a bit, her smile becoming a bit crazy. It looked like it was taking all of her self-control not to draw her sword. She was literally shaking with anticipation. However, she clenched her fists as she slowly sat down on the edge of the rooftop, still not taking her gaze away from him, but putting on that eerie smile again.

"Benitsubasa, Haihane. Why don't you have a little fun with our guest." Karasuba said as her hand clenched the hilt of her sword in an attempt to calm herself down.

Benitsubasa stared at the leader of the disciplinary squad. Usually Karasuba would jump at the opportunity to fight, but now she was giving them the chance instead. That was very unlike her. And why did she seem so…intense all of a sudden. I mean, Karasuba was always intense, but it looked like she was using all of her willpower not to jump down there and skewer this…Sekirei…or whoever this guy was.

"Why? We were tasked to retrieve the un-winged number. There is no point in fighting him." Haihane said.

Karasuba gave the bandaged Sekirei an overly cheerful smile. "What was that Haihane?"

Haihane felt a shiver down her spine as she straightened up. "N-Nothing Karasuba-Sempi." She responded quickly before she turned to her pink haired companion. "Lets just get this over with so we can complete the mission."

Benitsubasa gave a sigh as she looked down at the lone figure on the roof, the strange weapons in his hands. Fighting two against one, this was almost an insult to her pride as a member of the disciplinary squad. She had been trained to fight and defeat numbers much higher than her own. Taking down this person would be a cakewalk.

"Haihane, wait here, I will be done shortly." Benitsubasa said as she leaped down from the roof, landing in front of the cloaked figure.

Karasuba couldn't help but smile in amusement. Benitsubasa didn't know what she just got herself into. Even with the help of Haihane, they wouldn't be able to beat the "Mystery man."

Haihane grumbled a bit as she sat down next to Karasuba, resting her clawed hand against her cheek.

 _Slice_

"Aug!" Haihane yelped as her sharp claws scratched her cheek. Blood started leaking from the side of her face.

"Haihane." Karasuba said quietly.

Haihane ignored the scrape on her cheek as she turned her attention to Karasuba.

"Get ready to bail out Benitsubasa."

"W-What? Why?"

"Because she is in way over her head." Karasuba said, her eyes opening just a sliver as she watched.

Haihane looked between Karasuba and the two figures standing there on the rooftop. She narrowed her eyes at the cloaked figure with the strange duel weapons, trying to get a read on his ability. She then glanced at Karasuba, only to flinch at her expression. She still that that eerie smile and her eyes were open just a sliver, but the intense gaze didn't escape her. Haihane had only seen that look a few times, and each time was more frightening than the last.

Karasuba had one hand was on the hilt of her sword while the other one was clenching the edge of the rooftop, putting a clean indent in the metal. It looked like it was taking all of her self-control not to rush down there right now and stab the kid through the heart with her sword.

But…

Why was Karasuba acting this way? Why did she seem to know what this kid was capable of?

Benitsubasa cracked her knuckles as she walked up to her opponent. Up close, she didn't see anything really intimidating about him. He was about as tall as she was, maybe even a hair shorter. He seemed to be of a slimmer build as well, signifying that his specialty was speed over strength, which she didn't have a problem with.

She stopped within two feet of him as she put her hands on her hips.

"Listen here shorty, we have a mission to complete, but Karasuba seems to have an interest in you. So to make both our lives easier, why don't you just get out of our way?"

 _WHAM_

Benitsubasa didn't even see it coming. All she felt was a wave of pain hit her left cheek and her body being thrown back by the force of the blow. She was seeing stars, but her training suddenly kicked in. She rotated her body backwards and landed on her feet, sliding a bit backwards before coming to a halt. However, she fell to one knee. Her vision was blurry because of how close the strike had come to her eye. It almost felt like her cheekbone had been shattered.

She would have grinded her teeth in anger, but it was too painful. Instead, as soon as she regained her vision, she glared at the boy who just bashed her with his blunt weapon.

"You little shit!" She screeched as she stood up. "I'm gonna beat your fucking face in-" Her was cut off when the boy suddenly shot at her, swinging his black weapon at her face.

She instantly ducked before launching a punch to his stomach, but her fist met the cold metal of the weapon in his other hand. Wasting no time, the boy launched a flurry of attacked, swinging both weapon with deadly precision. Benitsubasa was forced to block with her forearms, but the weight of the blows was extremely painful.

She tried leaping back to put some distance between her and the boy, but he reached back and actually threw one of his weapons. It was so unexpected that she was unprepared to block it. It slammed into her chest, causing her to fly backwards again. This time she landed hard on her back. Benitsubasa was quick to recover though, rolling over her shoulder and quickly jumping to her feet, leaping back to put a bit more distance between them.

The pink-haired Sekirei was breathing hard. Her cheek was throbbing and major bruises were forming on her forearms. She could not believe that she, a member of the new disciplinary squad, was being pushed back by this guy.

And he wasn't letting up either. He shot at her again, almost like a white blur. She raised her arms and clenched her fists, ready to retaliate. As soon as he was within distance, she let loose her fist. It sailed righted at his face, but he quickly took a ninety degree turn and shot around her. Pivoting around, he threw another punch, but it was once again blocked by the metal of his white weapon.

Deflecting the punch, Roxas swung the oblivion, aiming it at her face, but the Sekirei quickly raised her forearm and blocked the blow. But she couldn't help but wince at how heavy it was. In that instant where she was distracted by the pain, Roxas swung the Oathkeeper, connecting it with her upper shoulder and landing a heavy blow.

Benitsubasa winced as she was thrown like a ragdoll across the roof. She barely managed to rotate over and give a somewhat decent landing only for her eye to widen and her arms to raise in defense again as the black weapon was thrown. It smashed into her arms and ricochet off before flying back to the owner's hand.

Roxas wasted no time in rushing forward, ready to strike while she was down. However, right when he was in range, another person landed in front of his target, swiping down with her clawed hands and forcing him to leap back to avoid being slashed.

Looking up, Benitsubasa saw Haihane standing there with her claws outstretched.

"Well…Even for you that was pathetic. One would think you could move faster with that flat chest of yours."

"Screw you Haihane." Benitsubasa growled, flipping the bandaged Sekirei off. She would have argued more, but they had a common enemy right now.

Roxas help both his keyblades in his hands. It had been a while since he used Oathkeeper and if felt good to use dual style again. However, now he was facing two opponents at the same time. He was use to fighting overwhelming amounts of heartless at the same time, but these people were just a bit stronger than the creatures of darkness. So far, the pink-haired one was pretty fast and quite durable, able to fend off his attacks with her arms. The other one seemed pretty ferocious with those claws. He had to watch out for those.

However…

Both of them seemed like they were close range fighters, so Roxas had an advantage.

"It has been a long time since I used this." Roxas murmured to himself, too quiet for anyone to hear.

Soon, a white glow began to emit off his body, causing both Benitsubasa and Haihane to narrow their eyes. They instantly got into their stances, trying to get ready for anything he might throw at them.

Karasuba was also watching, her eyes growing a bit more excited with each passing minuet. However, when she saw that white glow, her anticipation doubled. She was extremely excited about what Mystery man would show her next.

And how much he had held back in their spares?

Slowly, Roxas drew back his Keyblades, pausing a moment to let the power of light flow through him. Then, in one quick motion, he trust both of them forward. Immediately, 5 Pillars of light burst into existence before they rushed forward at the two amazed Sekirei.

It didn't take more than a second for them to react. Benitsubasa rolled between two while Haihane did the same. The pillars of light slammed into the building behind them, causing five huge gashes to run along the side.

Benitsubasa glanced over her shoulder, her teeth clenched as she saw the destruction.

"Flat-Chest, WATCH OUT!" Haihane screamed.

Benitsubasa barely managed to turn her head before she saw a glimmer of black metal heading straight for her face. She barely had time to duck and throw a punch at her attacker's midsection. However, he was extremely agile as he literally flipped backwards while simultaneously swinging his weapon at the approaching Haihane, sending another light pillar at her.

Haihane leaped to the left as she continued to rush forward. She leaped into the air as she tried to swipe downward with her clawed hands. However, Roxas rolled under before slashing upwards. Another pillar of light shot at Haihane, but she was in no position to dodge this time. The pillar slammed into her, sending her flying through the air before crashing on the ground.

Roxas felt a heavy wind current heading straight for his head, so acting on instinct, he ducted as Benitsubasa fist sailed over his skull and connected with the rooftop. Instantly, her fist sank into the bricks, bunching a hole straight through.

Roxas took this time to dash away from her before sending another pillar of light in her direction. It was easily sidestepped before Benitsubasa got back into her fighting stance.

Roxas looked between Benitsubasa and the now standing Haihane. Haihane had a few scratches from his last attack, but nothing too substantial that she would be out for the count. Gritting his teeth, he knew he had to end this soon before he wasted to much energy. After all, …

Karasuba would be up next, there was no doubt in his mind.

Suddenly, the Oathkeeper vanished from his grip as he clenched the oblivion in both his hands. Karasuba, Benitsubasa, and Haihane all watched as the light aura suddenly increased dramatically.

Roxas felt the power of light course through his veins in a very familiar way. He had not used this attack in a VERY long time.

"Event…" Roxas started, the Light energy increasing even more. Both Benitsubasa and Haihane threw up their guard, ready for anything. However, noting could prepare them for this.

"Horizon." Instantly, Roxas shot toward them, faster than they could even track. All they felt was pain as blow after blow was landed on their bodies. Roxas speed around them, landing hit after hit, faster than they could see, but they could definitely feel it. Finally, Roxas finished off by swinging his Oblivion at them, sending an array of light pillars rushing at their prone bodies. They were in no condign to dodge at this point. The pillars slammed into them, throwing them over the edge of the roof, in the alleyway, and down into the hard pavement below.

Roxas stopped as he fell to one knee. The light energy slowly faded away as he took a couple deep breaths. He didn't know if those two Sekirei were even alive after that…

 _BLOODLUST_

But he had other things to worry about. Slowly, he turned to look up at the rooftop where Karasuba was sitting. However, she was not there anymore. Hearing the very air being cut, Roxas quickly rolled just in time to dodge a Katana as it flew over his head.

Jumping to his feet, he saw Karasuba standing there, her grin even more crazed than usual. Her eyes were nearly glowing with excitement and anticipation.

"I knew they wouldn't stand a chance against your mystery man. And now that those two are out of the way, I think another date is long overdue. I have a serious itch that needs to be scratched, and you are the only one that can do it for me." She said, her voice husky and seductive.

Roxas was almost frightened by the amount of bloodlust she was putting out. It was like her katana could cut it if she wanted to. With a quick flick to his left hand, the Oathkeeper appeared again.

"And to top it all off, you have been holding something back on me. Can you imagine the kind of fun we could have if you just went all out? I getting hot and bothered just thinking about it." Karasuba said, licking her lips. "But I guess I can't be too mad. I mean after all…" The air sudden got thick as a dark aura suddenly surrounded Karasuba.

Roxas's eyes widened a bit as he witnessed the aura. Had he known better, he would have thought it was the powers of darkness, and even though it was similar, there was something different about it. This power was actually coming from Karasuba. It was dark, but not quite as evil as the darkness that created the heartless.

But still, there was no denying the power that Karasuba had.

"So how about it, Mystery man? I don't know when I will see you again, so how about we hold nothing back and have a very Passionate dance tonight." Karasuba said as she raised her blade, allowing the silver moon to reflect off its edge.

Honestly, Roxas didn't know if he had a choice in the matter. When Karasuba was like this, there was no reasoning with her. If he wanted to survive, he would have to go all out.

Soon, the light energy began to radiate off his body again. It was the perfect opposite to the power that Karasuba was emitting, causing her grin to increase. "You know, I never told you this before, but you remind me of someone." Karasuba started. Roxas didn't say anything as he got into his duel wielding stance. "Yes, she was a person who I desperately wanted to kill, but she ended up dyeing before I got the chance. You and her share a very similar aura, which is part of the reason I enjoy these little dates of ours." The dark aura continued to increase with each word she uttered. "I sure hope you don't disappoint me Mystery man."

With that, Karasuba shot towards him with speed he had never seen from her. He barely had time to raise his Keyblade to block the weapon. But the instant Karasuba's blade touch it, his arms almost gave out. The sheer force of that blow caused the concrete roof to crack slightly beneath them. It was that moment that Roxas knew Karasuba would probably kill him if he held back.

So he wasn't going to this time.

Clenching his teeth, he used his immense strength to push her back before the onslaught of attacked occurred from both sides. The two foes became nothing but blurred of black and white as they speed around the rooftops, clashing weapons and fighting as if their lives depended on it. Sparks and flashes of light showered the air as the two continued to exchange devastating blows.

It was at this point that Karasuba was laughing manically. In all their battles, Roxas had never seen her so insanely happy before. Even when he managed to land a few blows, they just seemed to add to her endless glee. She had clipped him a couple times as well, giving him a few decent gases. However, he didn't even have time to cast a cure spell because of how heavy her onslaught was. If he even stopped for a second, she would skewer him through the heart. There would be no recovery from that.

Roxas attempted to dash away, but Karasuba was right on his tail. Quickly, he spun around and launched both his Keyblades at her. "DOUBLE STRIKE RAID!"

Along with the Keyblades, a series of light pillars burst into existence and shot at her as well. She easily deflected the Keyblades before he side-stepped the pillars. They did nothing to slow her down as she quickly approached him. Drawing back her sword, Roxas quickly stretched his hand towards the sky.

"THUNDER!"

Immediately, a bolt of lightning fell from the sky and hit the ground right between Roxas and Karasuba. It barely managed to deter her, giving Roxas the opportunity to put some distance between them. He summoned both the Keyblades back to his hands as he prepared for the fight to continued. He was breathing ragged already. After taking on Yami, Yashima, Benitsubasa, Haihane, and Karasuba in the same day, Roxas was beginning to feel a bit fatigued right about now.

Karasuba was also breathing heavy, but it was more out of arousal and bliss than anything else. She looked at the scorch mark where the lighting hit before she locked her gaze back on Roxas. "You really are full of surprises. I just get all tingly when I fantasize about what else you can do."

Roxas could not believe what he was hearing. Never had he met anyone who was this battle hungry. He could see it in her eyes. She had absolutely no fear of his abilities. In fact, it made her even more excited.

And that was frightening.

Karasuba launched herself at Roxas again. He retaliated by dashing at her as well. They met at the center before their weapons clashed, sending a shockwave across the roof.

Roxas didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. It seemed that the longer Karasuba fought, the stronger she became. He could not say the same about himself. He could feel his arms grow weaker as He tried to withstand his opponent's strength.

"I have to end this." Roxas murmured to himself. Using the last of his strength, he shoved Karasuba away before thrusting the Keyblades downward.

"BLIZZAGA!"

Instantly, ice erupted from the tip of the Keyblades before quickly crawling over the rooftop. Karasuba found her feet completely frozen to the ground, but this did little to stop her. Instantly, she started slashing at the ice in an attempt too free herself.

Roxas used this as the opportunity he needed to put some distance between them. He rushed to the center of the roof before he attempted to summon what little light and magical energy he had left.

"If this doesn't stop her, then I am as good as dead." Roxas murmured. He felt the last of his light energy well up within him as he called it to the surface. Instantly, the light energy erupted around his frame, actually lifting the nobody into the air.

Karasuba had just managed too free herself before she noticed the hooded figure floating in the air, suspended by the sheer about of energy he was emitting. Had she not been so crazed for battle, she would have stopped to admire it for a few more seconds.

But instead, she shot at him, her eyes as wide as her grin.

Roxas realized this and pointed his Keyblades at the approaching Sekirei.

"Magic Hour"

Karasuba didn't know what to think when she saw a barrage of light projectiles erupt from the Mystery man's weapons. She was to focused on carving up his body to care though. She rushed right at them, attempting to swing at one with her sword, but instead, the light projectile slammed into her body, sending her flying backwards. Instantly, the barrage continued, pounding her body into the rooftop. She couldn't do a thing as Roxas unleashed an unforgiving number of projectiles at her.

Finally, with one last push, Roxas sent his final wave of projectiles at her, blasting a whole completely through the rooftop and into the room below. Roxas nearly fell to his knees as the light energy faded away. His breathing was coming out in forced gasps at the sheer amount of light and magic he had used today. He was completely and utterly drained at this point. He didn't even have enough magic to cast cure on himself.

However, he slowly pushed himself to his feet as he looked over at the large hole he made in the top of the roof. He didn't see anyone below and there was no movement from the lower floor.

Taking a large breath, he let it out slowly as he allowed the Keyblades to vanish. That last attack was one of his limit breaks. In the past he had used it against armies of heartless and they never stood a chance. There was no way that Karasuba would be getting up after that.

Turning away from the hole, Roxas slowly limped to the side of the building. He had held off Karasuba, Benitsubasa, and Haihane for long enough. No doubt Akitsu had made it home with Yashima. Now he would be able to use the Corridor of Darkness and go home…

 _PAIN_

Pain erupted from Roxas's back as he let out a silent scream. Instantly he fell forward and crashed face first on the cold rooftop. Gasping in complete agony, he didn't even have time to wonder what happened as more pain shot down his back, forcing a yelp to erupt from his throat.

Slowly, he looked over his shoulder to see what happened. Instantly, his eyes widened. Karasuba was there, straddling his back, one hand on the massive gash she just made on his back. She was bleeding heavily from her head, blood basically dripping into her eyes, but she didn't even acknowledge it. She was resting her bloody sword over her shoulder as she stared down at him, her grin ever so present.

More pain shot down Roxas's back as Karasuba dug her fingers into the massive cut. forcing another yelp of pain from the downed Nobody.

"Ahhhh...I don't think you understand how that sound makes me feel. Every little date we have had, you didn't know how much I wanted to drive this sword through your heart and taste your blood." She said as she slowly removed her blood soaked fingers from his wound. She eyed his blood before he seductively sucked it right off her finger. "Delicious."

Roxas was almost horrified at what she was doing, but then again, that was just like Karasuba. It didn't really surprise him that she was acting this way. But it was still morbid the way she was so arouse from the taste of his blood.

Another gasp of pain was forced from his mouth as she dug her fingers back into his gash. "You know; it would be such a waist to kill you because you are my only source of entertainment now days." Karasuba started, causing Roxas to look up at her again. "But then again, I just can't stop myself now. My sword wants to be buried into your heart and I can't resist when you are so vulnerable now."

Roxas felt his heart beat harder in his chest as he saw Karasuba raise her blade and place it directly over his heart. He couldn't do a thing about it either. She had him pinned down and he used all his strength for the day with all the battles. He had let his guard down and Karasuba had taken advantage of it. The pain was so severe that he couldn't even focus enough to call the Corridor of Darkness to make his escape.

Was this how he was going to die? Did he get this chance to live only to throw it away?

Akitsu…He had mistreated her in the end. She had always been there and he barked at her and hurt her on more than one occasion. Now he wouldn't be able to make amends. He would die knowing that yelling at her was there last interaction.

He closed his eyes as he saw the blade descend on his vulnerable back. "I-I'm so sorry…Akitsu." Roxas whispered.

The instant that Karasuba was about to drive her blade through Roxas's heart, her heightened battle senses picked up something heading straight for her. She barely managed to look up to see a massive ice spike flying directly at her. Instantly, she leaped backwards as the ice slammed into the roof between Roxas and Karasuba.

A figure landed on the roof, garbed in a light kimono. Her brown, shoulder length hair radiated the moonlight and her usually stoic face was courted in rage.

"A-Akitsu." Roxas gasped. He could not believe she came back for him. Was she crazy? She didn't stand a chance against Karasuba.

Akitsu glanced down at her bleeding Ashikabi. Her rage increased dramatically, causing the entire rooftop to freeze over in a layer of ice. Slowly, she turned her deathly gaze at the bleeding Karasuba, who merely raised an eyebrow at the particular situation.

Karasuba glanced between Roxas and Akitsu a few times, the gears in her mind working. The timely arrival of Akitsu had snapped her out of her extreme bloodlust. But why was Akitsu here? Shouldn't she be with her Ashik…

That's when Karasuba's eyes widened a little. Her mind came to the conclusion as to why Akitsu was here. And what an interesting conclusion it was.

The temperature continued to decrease as Akitsu prepared to fight one of the most powerful Sekirei in the game. No matter what happened she could not allow her Ashikabi to die.

However, instead of attacking, Karasuba whipped her blade to the side, freeing it of Roxas's blood before he slowly began to sheathe it. Akitsu's and Roxas's eyes widened at seeing this.

"Honestly, you shouldn't be surprised Mystery man. Like I said earlier, it would be a waist to kill you now. And…" she said as she glanced over at Akitsu. "Now that this development has occurred, I find you even more interesting than before. So for now, I think I will let you live. Try to become stronger so you can continue to entertain me, Mystery man." Karasuba finished as she looked over the edge of the roof where Benitsubasa and Haihane fell.

"Well, what a bother, I guess I have to take these two weaklings back to MBI so they can get fixed up. I don't need the director to chew my ass for letting them die." She said in a melodramatic tone. "Oh, and scrapped number…" She said, getting Akitsu's attention. "Make sure he doesn't die." She finished as she leaped off the rooftop to gather up Benitsubasa and Haihane.

Akitsu and Roxas couldn't believe what just happened. Karasuba actually backed off. Roxas was sure she was to crazed to even consider that idea, but it seemed that the arrival of Akitsu had knocked her out of her bloodlust.

Seeing that the threat was gone, Akitsu looked down at her Ashikabi, her face betraying nothing, but Roxas could tell she was mortified by his state. She was mortified and completely furious.

"A-Akitsu." Roxas started, but Akitsu quickly reached down and placed a finger on his lips.

"Ah…save your energy. Don't talk…at least not yet."

If Roxas had the strength, he would have winced at the sheer fury he was feeling through the bond. A bit of it was directed at Karasuba, but the majority was directed at him. He chose to follow her advice and shut his mouth. Though he did wince a bit as she not so carefully picked him up. But he couldn't really blame her for not being gentle though.

* * *

It didn't take long before they were back at the house. Akitsu basically kicked open the door before walking to the living room.

A sudden gasp caught Roxas's attention, causing him to look over at the sofa. Sitting there was Yashima. She had her hands over her mouth in horror as she saw Akitsu walk in with a blood soaked Roxas in her hands.

"W-What happened?" Yashima whispered.

Akitsu didn't answer as she quickly knocked all the items off of the table before laying Roxas down on it. She quickly unzipped his coat before tearing it off and throwing it to the side. Yashima's face paled a bit more as she saw his bloody shirt beneath the coat. Akitsu wasted no time in ripping that off him as well, revealing a chiseled, but badly cut torso.

"Lay on your front." Akitsu demanded.

Roxas was in no position to argue as he slowly turned around and laid on the table, his back to Akitsu. He winced a bit at his activated cut, but for the most part, that's all it was. Luckily, Karasuba didn't hit anything vital when she cut him.

Akitsu's hands curled into fists when she saw the cut. Luckily it wasn't as bad as it looked. Quickly, she retreated to the kitchen to grab an assortment of items. The first aid kit and wound sterilizer. Soon she returned to the living room with the items.

"Ah…Yashima." Akitsu started, causing the horrified girl to look up at her. "Please get me a bucket of warm water and a sponge." She said.

"R-Right." Yashima said as she attempted to stand. Her legs were feeling a bit better after Akitsu brought her to this house. She managed to stand and walk to the kitchen to fetch what Akitsu asked.

When she was gone, Akitsu wasted no time in unscrewing the sterilizer before literally dumping a large amount directly on the bleeding cut.

Roxas clenched his teeth as his eyes watered. The sterilizer began to bubble and hiss, causing the wound to coagulate as it began to work its magic. After a few seconds, Roxas gave a small sight of relief now that the stinging had worn off.

Yashima has returned to the living room with the bucket of water and a clean sponge. She gingerly placed it next to Akitsu, who nodded in thanks. Carefully, she soaked the sponge in the warm water before gently applying it to his back, attempting to clean a bit of the blood off.

She was a bit gentler as she cleaned around the wound, but Roxas could tell she was still pissed off.

"Ah…Roxas." Akitsu started as she continued to gently clean around the wound.

"Yeah?"

"You knew the disciplinary squad was coming, didn't you?" It wasn't a question.

"…Yes."

At hearing this, Yashima's eyes widened. She stared down at the boy with disbelief in her eyes.

"Did you send me away so you could fight them on you own?"

Roxas felt his stomach drop again. His heart filled up guilt. "Yes."

He felt Akitsu's hands pause in cleaning his back. "Then…when you had me stay back and fight Mutsu, you never planned on informing Seo. You planned on fighting Yomi yourself to protect the green girl."

Roxas felt like a complete asshole now. With every word Akitsu was saying, the guilt continued to rise. "Yes."

Yashima couldn't believe what she was hearing. How in the world could a human do something like that? Why was a human strong enough to take on a Sekirei? And why would they risk their lives to save someone else? In all the time she had known humans, they were just terrible creatures that only thought of themselves…

But then again, maybe that was because the only interaction she had with Humans was her own Ashikabi.

Roxas felt Akitsu's hand shake a bit against his sore back as immense sadness flooded through the bond. Carefully, he looked over his shoulder to see tears in her eyes. If it were possible, it made him feel ten times worse.

"Ah…Do you really not trust me that much? Why do you do these things on your own?"

"It's not that Akitsu, I promise. It's not that I don't trust you. But I have fought Karasuba before. I know how powerful she is. There was no way I could have fought her and protected you both at the same time."

"You fought her before?" Yashima whispered in disbelief.

Akitsu was also thinking the same thing, but that thought process could wait. "Ah…that's not for you to worry about. A Sekirei is supposed to protect their Ashikabi, not the other way around."

Roxas shook his head. "I don't see it that way. I don't just see you as my Sekirei. I see you as someone I don't want to lose, ever. I can take care of myself. I don't care what happened to me."

"But I do!" Akitsu responded, her voice growing a bit louder. "Don't you understand how I feel when I see you like this? You're not even supposed to be injured in this game. You're not supposed to fight."

"But I can." Roxas said back. "I want to fight and I chose to fight. If I don't do anything when I can do something, then what's the point of having this strength in the first place? There is no debate Akitsu, I am not going to just watch as the people I care about get hurt."

"Ah…then why do I have to watch you get hurt?"

Roxas didn't know what to say to that. She made a very good point. It was a bit hypocritical of him to say that.

"You…Somehow have this strength, so you choose to fight. Even if you are strong, why do you always leave me behind?"

Roxas paused, trying to find a suitable answer. "Because…I thought this was something I could handle. This was a challenge I thought I could face alone."

Akitsu gently placed both her hands on his back, careful to avoid the cut. "Ah…That's not how this works anymore Roxas." She said, causing Roxas to glance over his shoulder again. "Whatever you face, what ever challenge that comes your way, I want to stand by your side. You don't have to do everything on your own anymore. We are a team now Roxas." Akitsu said, tears cascading down her cheeks. "Just as you don't want to lose me, I don't ever want to lose you…because I love you."

If it were possible, Roxas felt even worse. It was hypocritical of him to think along the lines he did. If the roles were reversed, there was no doubt in his mind that he would be completely pissed at her.

"…Your right Akitsu. I'm sorry." He said as he turned away from her and pressed his forehead into the table. He felt horrible for everything he put her through. The lies, the deception, the selfishness. It was amazing that she even tolerated him now. But what else could he do? This was literally the only thing he could come up with to save both Akitsu and Yashima.

Suddenly, he felt Akitsu's forehead resting against his back, her arms gently creeping around his body. "Ah…we are a team now. So please have more faith in me. No more secrets between us, no more running off on your own to protect me. You don't have to do things by yourself anymore. Please let me in."

Incredibly enough, through the sadness and anger he felt through the bond, another feeling suddenly came forth.

A warmth.

Roxas felt immense warmth in his heart. Akitsu was such an incredible woman to still feel this way about him after everything he put her through. He couldn't do that anymore. If he continued to act like this, then he would eventually push her away.

"I-I promise Akitsu. No more secrets. No more doing things on my own." He responded.

Through this whole scene, Yashima was watching in amazement. Was this how the relationship between an Ashikabi and a Sekirei was supposed to be? Why in the world did she get stuck with someone like Junichi if this was what it was supposed to be like? As she watched the interaction between Roxas and Akitsu, she felt a bit of envy enter her heart.

They stayed like that for only a few more minutes before Akitsu raised her head and finished washing off his back. She then took the bottle of salve from the kit before applying a bit to her fingers. She then proceeded to apply it down the center of the gash.

Suddenly, another pair of fingers joined her. She looked up to see Yashima also applying the salve, causing her to raise her eyebrow.

Honestly, Yashima was still a bit frightened by the thought of even touching another person, but this boy had saved her from her Ashikabi. She wanted to do something to help.

Roxas was also curious about the second pair of helping hands, but his conversation with Akitsu still consumed his mind. It was a bit frightening to think about, but he would have to tell her everything about himself. No more secrets.

It didn't take long before the salve was completely applied. Now it was time to bandage the poor nobody up. Gingerly, Roxas sat up on the table with Akitsu behind him and Yashima in front. Akitsu would wrap it around his back while handing it to Yashima, who wrapped it around his front.

Roxas stared at the newly un-bound Sekirei curiously. She still had a bit of fear in her eyes at being so close to him, but he could also see that she just wanted to help out. It only took a few seconds before his torso and back were completely bandaged up.

Giving a sigh, Roxas winced as he attempted to stand, only for Akitsu to secure his shoulder and give some assistance.

"Thanks." He said before he turned his attention to the other Sekirei in the room. "So…Yashima. What are you going to do now? MBI is going to be looking for you unless you find an Ashikabi."

"I-I don't know. I think I will have to start looking right away." She said quietly.

 _Knock Knock_

Roxas jerked his head to the door. Who the hell was knocking on his door at this time of night?

…

Only one person was rude enough to do that, and unfortunately it was his only tenant.

"Akitsu, can you take Yashima to the bathroom and clean her up."

"Ah…" Akitsu paused as she glanced at the girl. Now that everything had calmed down, she could understand why he asked. Yashima was filthy. Her brown hair was matted with dirt and grim. Her body was covered with dirt, dried blood, and bruises. She definitely needed a bath. "Ok."

She gestured for Yashima to follow her to the bathroom. Yashima glanced around with uncertainty before slowly standing from the couch. She followed Akitsu to the bathroom.

Roxas on the other hand limped to his room before slowly putting on a fresh shirt to hide the bandages. You could tell he was still a bit messed up, but there was nothing he could do about that.

Walking back to the front door and taking a look through the peephole, it confirmed what he already knew. Seo's grinning mug was on the other side, along with his two Sekirei. Carefully, he opened the door before he was nearly knocked over by the older man as he basically burst through the door and walked past him.

"…come right in." Roxas said sarcastically as he closed the door.

"I appreciate it squirt. At least I knocked this time." Seo said as he made his way to the living room. Roxas's eyebrow twitched a little as he watched Seo stroll down the hallway like he owned the place. Thankfully, his Sekirei gave Roxas an apologetic look as they also entered the house. Roxas gave a sigh as he followed them down to the living room.

"Holy shit! What happened here?" Seo asked.

Roxas glanced over at what Seo was looking at before he nearly face palmed. He completely forgot to clean up the mess. There was a bucket of bloody water and bandage wrappers littering the floor.

"We had a little mishap." Roxas responded simply as he grabbed the bucket of dirty water and took it to the kitchen.

"You don't say. It looks like you are trying to cover up a murder or something." Seo said, his Sekirei nodding in agreement.

Roxas ignored him as he returned from the kitchen. His eyebrows twitched again as he saw Seo casually sat himself on the couch before pulling out another cigarette. His Sekirei seated themselves on either side, looking at Seo with a little disapproval. He was just bout to light the cancer stick when Roxas reached over and plucked it from his mouth, causing the older guy to pout.

"What do you want Seo? It's late."

Seo blinked a few times as he rested back against the sofa, his Sekirei casually leaning into him.

"What happened man? You skipped out on the main event." Seo said, a small grin forming on his face.

Roxas nearly rolled his eyes. "You weren't at the construction site. So Akitsu and I went to the garden's without you. There we met another Ashikabi's Sekirei. A woman and a man."

Seo rubbed his chin. "Say, the woman didn't happen to have a Scythe now, did she?"

Roxas bit his lower lip, trying to play it cool. "Yeah. She got past us while Akitsu, Homura, and I held off the guy. I think his name was Mutsu."

Seo blinked a few times as he gave a small whistle. "You guys took on Mutsu?" He asked, causing Roxas to nod. "Damn, now I can see why this place looked like an ER after surgery. How bad was your Sekirei hurt? Where is she by the way?"

"She is ok. She is take a bath right now."

"Damn though, Mikogami really pulled out all the stops by bringing him. So you met the Sekirei guardian, Homura?"

"I did. He tried to stop us from entering the gardens, but we ended up fighting Mutsu together."

"And it's a good thing you did. If Mutsu managed to get into the gardens, there was no way we would have been able to save the green girl."

Hikari and Hibiki looked a little offended by that statement, but they knew Seo was right. Mutsu was not one to be messed with.

Roxas's ears perked a bit, but still tried to play along. "So she is safe? Did we succeed?"

Seo nodded his head. "Fate is a funny thing. I actually met her Ashikabi at my last day at the construction site. Can you even imagine the coincidence?"

Roxas was honestly amazed. "You did?"

"Yeah. He is a scrawny little guy named Minato. I took him with me so we could find the green girl. What's even more funny is that he is a new resident at Izumo Inn."

Roxas felt enormously relieved. Based on that brief description, the guy that escaped with Kusano was actually her Ashikabi. However, that feeling was suddenly overcome with a feeling of dread. Why?

Because Roxas freaking showed Kusano his face and told her his name. He thought that he would probably never see the girl again after he saved her, which was part of the reason he showed his face at all. But now he learned that she was with her Ashikabi, and they lived at Izumo.

"W-Well, that is…interesting. Good for her." Roxas shuddered, trying to think on the spot. If Kusano blabbed that he saved her, his entire cover would be blown. Hopefully she would forget his name, or something along those lines.

Seo raised an eyebrow at Roxas's reaction. "Say, how long did Akitsu and Homura fight Mutsu?"

Roxas paled further. He forgot to ask Akitsu about that fight. He didn't know how long they fought, or what happened during the battle. However, considering that Akitsu had found him pretty fast after he deactivated Yomi, he could only assume the battle didn't last much longer than his fight with the deranged Sekirei.

"It didn't last that long. Why?"

"Just, something I was curious about." Seo responded as he stretched his arms into the air, bringing them down around his two Sekirei before pulling them close. He glanced around. "How bad was Akitsu hurt. From what it looks like, she might need to go to the hospital."

"It was just a few flesh wounds, nothing too serious. She got a little hurt with her fight against Mutsu."

"Yeah, I can see that. Mutsu is a pretty powerful Sekirei." He said as he cracked his neck. "You don't look that good yourself. Did something happen to you?"

"Not especially." Roxas said, trying to hide that fact that he was even struggling to stand."

"Hummm?" Seo hummed, not looking convinced in the slightest. "Well, I just wanted to fill you in. At first, I thought you chickened out on me, but you did good for a little brat."

Roxas gave a small breath of relief; glad he dodged the bullet on that one. "Chickened out? Get real!" He said before a grin crossed his face. "Get ready bright and early Seo, we got apartments to clean in the morning."

Seo's face paled a bit. "You can't be serious! You are going to start working me like a dog already?"

"Yep. You're done at the construction sight, so I got to keep you busy."

"You're evil!"

Roxas shook his head as he made a shooing motion with his hands. Seo and his Sekirei stood from there spot and walked out the front door. He could still hear his Sekirei making fun of their Ashikabi as they walked to their apartment.

In the bathroom, Akitsu could not believe what she was seeing as she sat behind Yashima, cleaning the grim off her back and hair. Her back was littered with bruises and small cuts here and there. She was also pretty malnourished as well. The ice Sekirei was able to see Yashima's ribcage as well as her spine. She didn't show it on her face, but she was completely appalled by the way Yashima's Ashikabi treated her.

Even though she tried to be gentle around the more injured areas, she could see it was still a very painful experience for Yashima. Each time she grazed a bruise or a cut, Yashima gave out a small hiss of pain.

Moving to the front wasn't any better. Her stomach, chest, and even her breasts seemed bruised and battered.

It took a while to fully get the grim out of her hair as well. Her head was littered with sensitive nots, as if she had been hit quite a few times there as well. Was there any part of her that wasn't abused?

Finally, Akitsu had finished cleaning Yashima up for the most part. After rinsing off the suds, Akitsu entered the main bath to relax a bit. Glancing over at Yashima, she was still sitting there, soaking wet with soap bubbles all over her body.

"Ah…are you going to join me?" Akitsu asked.

Yashima glanced over at her. "I-Is it ok?"

"Yes." Akitsu responded, a bit surprised she even asked.

Yashima rinsed off the suds from her body before she slowly made her way over to the large bath. Carefully, she crawled in and let the warm water wash over her sore body. It had felt quite amazing to finally be clean. She glanced over at Akitsu, who was staring at her intently, making her feel just a little uncomfortable.

"Is-Is something wrong?" She asked carefully.

"Ah…" Akitsu paused. "You just seem like you haven't bathed in a while."

Yashima's eyes became a bit down case. "That's because I didn't. My Ashikabi didn't really pay the water bills and he couldn't afford much food either. I-I don't know when the last time I took a good bath."

"Couldn't afford it? What about the MBI card?"

"MBI deactivated it." Yashima said, her eyes becoming downcast.

Akitsu's eyes widened quite a bit. "Why?"

"He used MBI's money to buy drugs, guns, and…other questionable things. MBI warned him to stop, but he continued to do it. He was…Pretty mad the day they turned off his card. I-It wasn't a really pleasant night for me." She said as she slowly closed her eyes.

One again, Akitsu was completely appalled. When she was scrapped, she would have given anything to have an Ashikabi. But this Sekirei had one, and he treated her like this? How could a human possibly be this evil?

Yashima felt memories of Junichi wash over her. Flashback to the major beating she took after MBI disabled his card popped into her head, making her cringe. Her body started shaking when more memories started forming in her head of the time she spent with that disgusting man.

Suddenly, she felt two warm arms gently wrap around her shoulders. The other Sekirei that preoccupied the bath with her carefully pulled her into a warm embrace. The gentle touch was almost alien to her, making her body stiffen. The only other gentle contact she had was with Roxas.

Akitsu could feel her go ridged, but continued to hold her close. "Ah…No one should have to go through that. I promise you that no one will hurt you here Yashima."

Yashima felt her body relax finally against the soft embrace of the ice Sekirei. This was the second time today that she felt just a bit of warmth enter her heart after so long.

It was a few moments later that Yashima slowly pulled away from Akitsu before turning towards her. "T-Thank you."

Akitsu gave a very small smile as she rested her back against the bathtub, enjoying the feeling of warm water over her skin.

"Um…Akitsu?"

Akitsu looked over at the other Sekirei.

"How is Roxas…as your Ashikabi?"

Akitsu was a little surprised by the question, but she looked up at the celling, thinking about how to answer it.

"Ah…Roxas is an amazing Ashikabi. He is kind, shy, and apparently…very strong." She said before she looked over at her. "But he also is very secretive. He does not trust easy." She said a little sadly.

"How-How did he do it? How did he free me? How is he so strong? Humans are not supposed to be that powerful."

"I don't know. In a way, I was the same as you. He was able to free me as well. Then I reacted to him." She said. "But like I said, he has a lot of secrets. He does not like talking about them, not even to me."

"But I can see that he does care about you." Yashima said, causing Akitsu to look over at her. "I can see it. You can see it. I-I would have given anything to have someone care about me the way he cares about you."

Akitsu's eyes fell a little. Yashima did have a point. It could have been different. She could have been stuck with an Ashikabi like Junichi. But instead she was with someone who treated her with respect and kindness.

"Ah…I guess your right." Akitsu said as she looked over at Yashima. However, her eyes widened a sliver when she saw a blush forming on Yashima's face. Her cheeks were a bit red as well, and not from the bath.

"I-I don't know why, but when I think of him, my heart races. I Haven't felt like this before."

Akitsu didn't even need to think about what was causing this. It was clear as day. This recently freed Sekirei was reacting to her Ashikabi.

Roxas was laying on the couch, his eyes closed, but his mind still active. Even though everything seemed to be clear between him and Akitsu, he still had to deal with the fact that she would want answers from him. That was a bit worrisome, but she deserved that much. And what about the other Sekirei, Yashima? He didn't know her at all and wasn't really keen on telling her about himself when he had absolutely no reason to.

Roxas heard the door to the bathroom open and close, signifying that Akitsu and Yashima were done with their bath. He could hear the sound of their soft footsteps as they entered the bedroom down the hallway. He could only guess Akitsu was offering Yashima a few things to get dressed in.

It didn't take long before he heard the door to the living room slide open. He glanced up to see Akitsu standing there in more casual cloths than her usual kimono. Standing slightly behind her was Yashima. She was also wearing some of Akitsu's cloths, but they were a bit too big for her considering Akitsu's rather impressive bust size.

Slowly, he pushed himself up to a seating position, inviting his Sekirei to sit down next to him, which she did. However, Roxas didn't put his arm around her quite yet, still feeling a little ashamed of how he treated her previously.

Akitsu seemed to sense his thought process as she gently leaned into him, careful not to aggravate his injury. She also glanced over at Yashima, who was staring at the two of them, a small blush on her face. She beckoned her to also sit on the couch, which she did with a bit of hesitation.

Roxas glanced between the two of them curiously. "Is something wrong?" He asked, noticing the strange behavior between the two Sekirei.

"Ah…Yes. But I think Yashima should tell you." Akitsu replied.

Roxas raised his eyebrow as he glanced over at the other Sekirei. She was sitting there, looking extremely nervous and even a bit frightened. She looked over at Roxas, making eye contact with him. She was about to open her mouth, but another knock on the door suddenly interrupted her.

 _Knock Knock_

Roxas almost growled at all the interruption they had that night. Seo really needed to leave them alone right now.

"Give me a second." Roxas said as he stood from the couch and exited the door, leaving the two Sekirei alone in the room.

Now that they were alone again, Akitsu glanced over at Yashima. "Ah…Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Yashima hesitated but nodded. "I-I feel like I can trust Roxas and you. You both have been nothing but kind to me. And if you're right, I don't want to lose this opportunity."

Akitsu nodded, but she was a little conflicted. She had really enjoyed the alone time she had with Roxas. It was just the two of them in this house, struggling to make everything work out, but that was something she enjoyed. But now there was another person who would be in their lives. Roxas would have to give them both attention now.

But then again,

Yashima seemed like she was a very nice person who was unfortunate enough to land herself a very horrible Ashikabi. Akitsu knew that there was a possibility that Roxas would wing more Sekirei, but if that had to happen, then Yashima was probably the best option.

Roxas limped his way to the door, not even looking through the peep hole this time. He threw the door open.

"Seo! It's late! Go to bed…Oh Shit."

Standing on the other side of the door was definitely not Seo. In fact, it was one person who he really didn't want to see standing on his door mat.

"Good evening Mystery man. I was hoping you didn't die from your injuries."

Roxas felt his heart stop. He was about to slam the door shut when a hand caught it.

"Well, that's rude. Not even inviting me in when I traveled all the way down here to see you."

"What do you want Karasuba." Roxas growled, not even denying that he was her frequent sparring buddy.

"Oh, you're not even going to try to deny who you are. That's what I always did love about you. No bullshit, Just action." She said as she forced the door open, grabbing a fist full of his shirt and forcing her way into the house. "Why thank you for letting me in. Would you mind giving me a full tour of the house."

"Screw you!" Roxas growled as he tried to pry her hand away from his shirt.

"You know, if I weren't already winged, I would consider it." Karasuba said as she strolled down the hallway and tore open the door to the living room.

Akitsu and Yashima were still sitting on the couch, but the moment they saw who was standing there, they immediately jumped up. The air started to freeze already as a very uncharacteristic hate began to form in Akitsu's eye.

Karasuba just grinned as she drew her sword with her other hand and rested the blade against Roxas's neck.

"Relax, I am satisfied for today. I am simply here to make a deal with you all."

Akitsu's eyes widened in horror as she saw the blade nick the side of her Ashikabi's throat. A think trail of blood started to fall from his neck. However, she did stay her hand, knowing that if Karasuba wanted, Roxas's head would already be separated from his shoulders.

Roxas knew he was in trouble. Sure, Karasuba was also injured, but he had the worse end of it. Also, his coat was off, so he couldn't use the Corridor of darkness to escape. "How did you find out about me?"

"It was rather easy. There is only one reason a Sekirei would try to fight me. And that's to defend their Ashikabi. I simply connected the dots. Who is Akitsu's Ashikabi?" Karasuba said, allowing them to piece together the rest of the information.

At hearing this, Akitsu's heart stopped. So it was because she showed up? That's why Karasuba figured out who Roxas was? But then again, if she didn't intervene, then her Ashikabi would have died.

"What do you want Karasuba?"

"Straight to the point as always." Karasuba said in her overly sweet voice. "My demand is simple. As long as you continue to satisfy my itch, then your secret is safe with me."

Roxas looked over his shoulder at the insane woman. "What?"

"You heard me. I want to live at this complex and every time I need someone to fight, you will indulge me."

Everyone's face went pale at that, even Roxas's. "You're insane!"

"Why thank you." Karasuba responded before she pulled out a small flash drive out of her coat pocket with her other hand. "Right after I dropped off the two weaklings, I visited another Sekirei I knew could get me this. I don't think Higa will be to happy knowing I threatened a Sekirei under his control, but what is a girl to do?"

Roxas glanced over his shoulder at the flash drive. "What is it?"

"Oh, just the one and only footage of our steamy battle. Can you imagine what Minaka would do if he saw this footage? I was lucky enough to have Number 22 erase all the data in the satellites and MBI's database after she made this copy for me."

Roxas felt his stomach drop a bit. He knew that Minaka was crazy, but what would he do if he knew that Roxas had such abilities as were shown on the footage.

"So what do you say? Will you give me a lease? I like keeping my targets close by." She said, waving around the flash drive with a taunting look on her eye.

Roxas didn't know what to do. He glanced over at Akitsu, who was on the verge of attacking. They made eye contact, sharing a small nonverbal conversation.

Finally, Roxas gave a small sigh. "Honestly, I don't know if I can survive many more battles like the one we just had. And how in the world will we stay off MBI's satellites when we fight?"

"You let me worry about that. And also, the fight we had was…stimulating, but that will only happen once in a while." She said in a sickly sweet voice. "What I want is to go back to the way things were. When we would meet up weekly and have a modest spar."

"A modest spar." Roxas scoffed. "You have a very twisted idea of a modest spar."

Karasuba ignored him. "How about I sweeten the deal." She said as she glanced over at Yashima, who instantly shrunk under her gaze. "MBI has developed a very unhealthy interest in that Sekirei over there because of her being un-winged. If you agree to my terms, I will look the other way today and give her the chance to run. If she manages to find her Ashikabi, then there is nothing that MBI can do about it since she is back in the game."

Both Roxas and Akitsu gritted their teeth. "Ah…manipulative Bitch." Akitsu growled.

Karasuba grinned a bit more as she pocketed the flash drive and gently caressed Roxas's cheek, causing the Ice Sekirei to become even more infuriated. "That's my final offer, so what do you say?"

Roxas was left with no choice. Both he and Akitsu didn't have the strength to take on Karasuba. She could easily defeat them both and take Yashima.

He couldn't allow that.

"Don't expect a discount on your rent." Roxas growled.

Her creepy grin increased as she removed her sword from his throat. "Glad you see things my way. And send the bill to Natsuo Ichinomi of MBI. He has more than enough cash to spare."

"Noted, now get out."

Karasuba grinned as she turned around, her Haroi flipping in the air. "How about the usual schedule? Same time, same place?"

Roxas nodded in agreement.

"It's a date. I will see you then, Mystery man." Karasuba said as she exited the living room. Roxas heard the front door slam as the deranged Sekirei exited the building.

The air was completely silent as everyone tried to process what just happened. Karasuba knew who Roxas was and what he was capable of. And if he didn't agree to her terms, then she would use her blackmail against him and turn Yashima over to MBI.

Collapsing on the couch, Roxas leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. Too much had happened this day, and it was all because he wanted to help one small girl. If he just minded his own business, everything would have been fine. Akitsu wouldn't have seen him, Karasuba wouldn't have figured out who he was, and this entire situation would have been avoided.

But then again, the green girl would have most likely been forcefully winged, and Yashima would still be with her abusive Ashikabi.

So the question was, did he make the right decision here?

Feeling the couch shift on his right, he glanced over at Akitsu, who was extremely furious despite the fact that she didn't display any of that anger on her face. Also, her anger was not directed at him this time. She knew why he made the decision he did in agreeing to Karasuba's terms.

Yashima felt almost guilty about the situation. She knew what Karasuba was capable of and she could only guess that was the reason Roxas was in the state he was. The only reason that Karasuba didn't take her then and there was because Roxas agreed to her terms. That was more than enough to convince herself to go through with her plan.

"Ah…Roxas." Akitsu said, getting her Ashikabi attention. But truthfully, she didn't know what to say in this situation. Their hands were tied.

"It will be ok." Roxas said as he leaned back against the couch. "I fought Karasuba each week for about 3 months before I met you. If it's the same as that, then I think I will be fine."

"Ah…Ok." Akitsu responded as she bit her lower lip. She hated this. There was nothing she could do in the current situation.

"R-Roxas." Yashima said as she made her way over to the couch.

Roxas glance dup at the Sekirei, his eyebrow raised.

"Thank you." She said shyly.

"Don't sweat it. But you don't have much time left. You need to find your Ashikabi." Roxas responded as he rested his head back against the sofa. He felt a small shift on the couch beside him, causing him to glance over. Yashima was sitting there on her knees, facing him, her eyes showing a large amount of uncertainty, but courage as well.

"I-I think I have found my Ashikabi already." She said

Roxas blinked a few times. "W-What?"

"You are my Ashikabi. You are the one I was supposed to be bound to." Yashima said, her hands shakily reaching for his face.

"Me? How? why is it me?" Roxas said, his heart racing at how close Yashima was getting to him.

"I don't know why. My body is reacting to you though. I have seen what you are capable of. You are kind, brave, and strong. I wanted someone like that as my Ashikabi, but I never had the chance. Please, let me be bound to you."

Roxas as almost panicking. He glanced over at Akitsu, but she had a natural look on her face. However, she just nodded her head, a small smile on her lips.

He felt Yashima's hand grasp his cheeks, Turing his head towards her. She was slowly inching her head forward.

"Is this really what you want? Are you sure you want to be bound to me? A nobody?"

Yashima nodded, though a bit confused as to why he described himself that way. "I do. I am a little scared, but I know you are a good person. So please, become my Ashikabi." She finished as she closed the gap between them, pressing her lips against his and forcing her fear down.

The instant their lips touched, Yashima felt an immense warmth enter her heart, more than anything she had ever felt in her life. The fear and anxiety seemed to melt away, giving place for something that she never thought she would experience ever again.

Love.

Instead of shaking at his touch, she pressed her body closer to his, wrapping her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss. She wanted to feel more of this since it was deprived of her from her last Ashikabi. She even went as far as to crawl into his lap.

Roxas also felt another bond firmly form in his mind. He felt all of her uncertainty, pain, and suffering slowly melt away. It was still there to a degree, but not to the point where it could control her actions any longer.

Finally, Yashima broke away from Roxas, sitting up on his lap with her eyes closed. The bight white wings permeated the room, lighting it up quite significantly.

"Hammer of my pledge, Shatter the enemies of my Ashikabi." She chanted. For the first time, saying those words brought so much joy to her heart.

As Akitsu watched, she didn't know what to think at first, but seeing the formally abused Sekirei in such a state of happiness, she couldn't help but smile a bit. However, that smile vanished when Yashima suddenly grasped the back of Roxas's head and pulled him in for another kiss.

The wings burst forth again, but this kiss was cut short as Akitsu managed to pull them apart. Yashima was a bit dazed as she was pushed to the other side of the couch, as was Roxas. But Roxas noticed that the weight on his lap was instantly replaced. He looked up to see Akitsu there, frowning down at him.

"Ah…Jealous." She said as she pressed her lips against his, allowing the icy wings to erupt from her back.

Yashima was blushing up a storm, completely surprised that she actually did that. Not only did she just get her wings again, but she couldn't stop herself from kissing her Ashikabi once again after that. She didn't expect that from herself at all. And to top it all off, it was almost amusing to see Akitsu shove her away and capture Roxas in a Kiss.

Slowly reaching up, she touched her lips and thought about how gentle and wonderful it was. It was nothing like Junichi. It actually made her happy, made her want to do it again and again.

But…

There was something else that she felt. The bond that was formed between her and Roxas allowed a deeper look into his heart. What she found surprised her greatly…Or rather…what she didn't find.

While her bond with Junichi allowed her to see the depths of his evil heart, Roxas was nearly empty. The little he had in his heart was growing, but even Junichi was filled with something, even if that something was evil.

Why was her Ashikabi like that? Why was he so empty?

Finally, Akitsu pulled back, completely satisfied by the exchange of saliva. However, her bliss did not stop her from wanting to ask a very important question.

"Roxas." Akitsu started, getting her Ashikabi's attention. She continued to straddle his hips, making sure he was not going anywhere. "You promised to answer my questions."

Roxas stared at her for a few seconds before glancing over at Yashima. There was no reason he needed to hide what he was from her anymore since they were now bound to each other.

"Ask away." Roxas said.

"Who are you? What are you?" she asked, staring down at him and listening intently. Yashima did the same, not wanting to miss why he was so powerful…or what was the cause of that void in his heart.

Giving a sigh, Roxas looked between Yashima and Akitsu a few times. "If you are to understand that, then I must tell you about a boy…named Sora."

* * *

Homura gave a large sigh as he approached the entrance to Iziko Inn. It had been a long day, but at least the green girl had been secured. He had at least succeeded in his job today with some assistant against Mutsu.

Upon entering the building, he walked up the stairs to the second floor and was about to walk down the hallway, but the door that lead to Matsu's room suddenly burst open.

"HOMURA! You have to see this!" Mustu yelled as she basically grabbed Homura's coat and dragged him into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Homura stumbled a bit before glaring at the red-head. She was already tying commands into the computer at inhuman seeds. "What is it Matsu? It's been a very long day."

"I know, I was watching your battle with Mutsu and Akitsu. You have to admit; the scrapped number is really strong."

"Former scrapped number." Homura corrected. "You didn't drag me into your room just to tell me that did you?"

"No, you need to see this." Matsu said in a rare moment of seriousness. It was so surprising that Homura narrowed his eyes a bit and sat down on the ground behind her."

"I was barely able to copy this footage before it was erased out of MBI's database."

Homura perked up at hearing that. "Someone else was able to hack into MBI?"

Matsu nodded in confirmation. "The only other number that could do that is Number 22."

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't know. I was lucky enough to see that footage as it was happening and made a copy. Did you know that MBI actually released the disciplinary squad tonight?"

Homura's eyes widened just a bit as he shook his head. "No. Why would they do that? This was just an ordinary Sekirei battle."

Matsu paused as she stopped typing on her keyboard. "Homura, has there even been a case where a bond between a Sekirei and there Ashikabi was destroyed, and the Sekirei survived?"

Homura raised his eyebrow at the particular question. "Not that I know of. It should be impossible."

"That's what I thought too, but in the botanical garden, Number 85 Yashima was unbound and still active. It looked like she and her Ashikabi responded to the message sent by Minaka and went to the botanical gardens to get a shot at the green girl. But somehow, the bond between her and her Ashikabi was severed."

"That's…That's not possible."

"That's what MBI thought, which is why they released the disciplinary squad. They wanted to retrieve her. But that's where things get interesting."

"How so?" Homura asked, clearly interested now.

"Like I said, I was interested as to why MBI sent off the disciplinary squad, so I watched through them through the satellites. You would not believe what happened."

"Stop delaying it Matsu, what happened."

Biting her lower lip, Matsu hit a few more commands into the computer before a playback was displayed on the monitor. What Homura saw next could only be described as incredible. Benitsubasa, Haihane, and Karasuba were confronted by the strange cloaked individual that saved Musubi. Benitsubasa and Haihane were dispatched quickly, but the battle between Karasuba and this stranger was a sight to behold. The more he watched, the more his mouth dropped open. The sheer power between these two was indescribable.

"W-What the hell is this?" Homura whispered.

"We haven't even got to the good part yet." Matsu responded as they watched Karasuba about to drive her blade through the stranger's back. Right before she did, a massive ice spike nearly impaled the black Sekirei. Out of nowhere, Akitsu appeared, ready to take on Karasuba. That's when the playback stopped.

Homura stared at the still frame of Akitsu standing between the cloaked stranger and Karasuba. The gears were working in his mind as to what it meant, but it didn't take long.

"No…What you are suggesting is impossible." Homura said.

"Is it?" Matsu asked as she pulled up Roxas's profile. "MBI has nothing on Roxas. No birthplace, no parents, not even his last name. Don't you think it's interesting that MBI can't dig up anything on him, and it just so happens that his very own Sekirei shows up to fight Karasuba to protect the cloaked stranger?"

Homura bit his lip, his mind completely confused at this new development. It was true the stranger said he wasn't a Sekirei, but was it possible Roxas was this stranger? And if he was, how in the world was he strong enough to take on someone like Karasuba.

"I-I think I just need to sleep on this." Homura said.

"You and me both." Matsu replied. "It's still strange that this entire battle was deleted from MBI's database. I can't think of one reason why."

Homura was about to exit the room before he glanced over at the still frame of Karasuba, the stranger, and Akitsu. He looked into Karasuba's eyes to see a joyful, yet deadly twinkle in her eye.

"I can think of a reason."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Yeah, this took quite a bit longer to come out with because it was tough to think of what kind of dialogue would happen between Akitsu, Roxas, and Yashima. So, what did you think? You like it? Hate it? Some of you may not like the way I had Roxas treat Akitsu, but sometimes we make mistakes when we talk to the ones we love. And we make decisions with good intentions, but they just end up hurting them more than helping. It's just a fact of life.**

 **Also, like I said in the beginning of the chapter, this may be my last update for a while. I am starting a new career in just a couple days and I don't know if that will give me time to write fanfiction as much as I would like to. So I would just like to tell all of you who have read both my stories, Thanks for a great year of fan fiction writing. I have enjoyed it and hope I can find time to continue in the future.**

 **Until then!**


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